South American Contractors in Sudan Allegedly Recruited by UK-Registered Companies

Tucked away close to the shiny football stadium of Tottenham Hotspur in London is a squat, nondescript block of flats. Beyond its ordinary facade lies a grim secret: a small flat connected to deadly crimes taking place a vast distance to the south.

Per British official documents, this one-bedroom flat in the capital is connected to a transnational web of companies implicated in the large-scale recruitment of fighters to fight in Sudan alongside militias charged of myriad war crimes and genocide.

Scores of Ex- South American Soldiers Enlisted

A large number of former Colombian military personnel have been recruited to fight with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a armed faction blamed for mass rapes, ethnic slaughter, and the systematic murder of civilians.

These contractors were directly involved in the RSF's seizure of the western Sudanese city of El Fasher in recent months, which triggered a wave of violence that analysts say has cost over 60,000 lives.

While accounts of atrocities mount, links have been identified between the fighters hired to overrun El Fasher and locations in the UK capital.

London Flat Linked to Sanctioned Company

The apartment in Tottenham is listed to a company named Zeuz Global, set up by two people named and sanctioned recently by the US treasury for recruiting contractors to fight for the RSF.

Both individuals – citizens of Colombia in their fifties – are listed in records at the UK company registry as living in Britain.

The firm remains active. The day after the US treasury announced restrictions on those running the recruitment network, Zeuz Global suddenly relocated its registered address to the very heart of London. Its updated address corresponds to a five-star hotel in a central district.

The establishments in question said they had no link to Zeuz Global and were unaware why the company had listed their postcodes.

"It is of serious worry that the key individuals the US government claims are directing this mercenary supply have been able to establish a UK company based from a apartment in the capital," said an expert, a researcher and ex-participant of a UN panel on Sudan.

Questions Raised Over British Firm Checks

Experts say the situation highlights questions over how individuals publicly sanctioned by the US for "contributing to the civil war in Sudan" were able to apparently set up and run a company in the British capital.

The UK's top diplomat has censured the RSF for "organized murder, abuse and assault" following the group’s capture of El Fasher. The RSF has been accused by the US with genocide.

When questioned about Zeuz Global, Companies House did not comment on whether it had awareness of the firm’s operations or confirm the location of the penalized people.

Reaching out to Zeuz proved unsuccessful; its online site, set up in May, was marked as "being built" with no contact details.

Operation Led by Retired Officer

According to the American authorities, the figure at the centre of the Colombian recruiting network for the RSF is a citizen of two countries and former army officer based in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The US accuses this individual of having a central role in hiring ex-military personnel to be deployed to Sudan using a Colombian employment agency. His wife was also penalized for owning and managing the firm.

Another dual national was similarly censured for overseeing a business accused of processing money and payroll for the network employing the mercenaries.

"During 2024 and 2025, US-based firms linked with this individual conducted numerous wire transfers, amounting to millions of US dollars," the US treasury statement said.

Firm Establishment and Intensifying Conflict

In spring of this year, the penalized figures registered a firm in north London named ODP8 Ltd – later re-branded Zeuz Global.

Shortly after, the RSF attacked the Zamzam displacement camp, killing more than 1,500 innocent people. After its capture, the site was transferred to Colombian mercenaries, who began planning for attacking El Fasher.

The sanctioned individuals are named in official UK documents as owning "initial shareholdings" in the company, with one named as a key controller.

Both list Britain as their "country of residence".

Effect on the Conflict and Broader Concerns

The recruitment of the South Americans has had a profound impact on the course of the conflict, experts state. These nationals have allegedly trained children to be soldiers, as well as acting as marksmen, infantrymen, trainers, and pilots for unmanned aircraft.

These aircraft were key in the fall of El Fasher and during fighting in other regions.

"The war in Sudan is a technologically advanced one, with guided weapons and remote aircraft causing regular civilian deaths," added the analyst. "These systems require outside assistance to operate. We know that the Colombian mercenary operation has been a significant part of this outside support."

He added that the involvement of sanctioned individuals in a UK company underlined broader concerns over the absence of rigorous checks when firms are set up.

"Owning a UK company like this is a passport for criminals to do deals with respectable entities. It's still more difficult to join a fitness centre in most cases than to set up a UK company," he stated.

Official Reaction and Ongoing Allegations

A UK official said that the new rollout of "compulsory ID checks" for company directors would provide greater assurance about who was setting up and running UK firms.

The role of the South Americans in Sudan first emerged last year, leading to an expression of regret from the South American nation's government.

One of the fighters recently admitted that he had instructed minors in Sudan and fought in El Fasher.

The UAE, repeatedly alleged of supplying weapons to the RSF, has also been connected to the recruitment of the contractors. A report alleged that UAE nationals supplying fighters to the RSF were linked to a high-ranking Emirati figure. The UAE has consistently denied these claims.

A British government spokesperson commented: "The UK is demanding an halt to violence, the safety of civilians, and the lifting of barriers to aid delivery."

They added that the UK had also imposed restrictions on RSF commanders for their role in the crimes in El Fasher.