A senior commander of an armed coalition allied with Sudan’s military has been killed in renewed fighting with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in the Kordofan region, the coalition said on Tuesday.
Brigadier General Haroun Mersal, also known as Abu Taka, was killed during clashes in the Um Shaeira area of North Kordofan, according to a statement issued by the military-aligned Joint Force.
His death came as fighting resumed on Monday across several fronts in North and West Kordofan, following the deployment of reinforcements by Sudan’s military and allied armed groups.
Military reinforcements reportedly arrived in Sodiri and Al Mazroub ahead of planned operations targeting Um Badr and Abu Zaeima in North Kordofan, as well as El Khowei and Al Nahud in West Kordofan.
The RSF has also deployed additional forces from neighbouring Darfur to strengthen its positions along the Kordofan front lines.
According to the Joint Force, Mersal had participated in military operations across North, West and South Kordofan, as well as Khartoum, before his death.
He assumed command of the coalition’s Kordofan operations following the death of his predecessor, General Abdelaziz Ismail Niri, in an airstrike in North Kordofan in late June.
The latest clashes underscore the continuing struggle for control of strategic areas in Kordofan, where both sides have deployed reinforcements amid an escalation in military operations.
