Khartoum:Sudan's Joint Force, an armed coalition aligned with the national army, announced the death of one of its operations commanders in North Kordofan state on Tuesday.

According to Anadolu Agency – English, the deceased has been identified as Brig. Gen. Haroun Mursal Abu Tikka, who was killed in the Umm Shaeira area. The Joint Force, which reported the incident, did not provide details regarding the circumstances or timing of his death.

The Joint Force comprises various armed movements that signed a peace agreement with the Sudanese government in October 2020. It has been actively engaged in combat alongside the Sudanese army against the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The main factions within the Joint Force include the Sudan Liberation Movement, led by Minni Arko Minnawi, and the Justice and Equality Movement, headed by Jibril Ibrahim.

Clashes between the Sudanese army and the RSF have been ongoing since October 25 in the Kordofan region's three states North, West, and South Kordofan. Sudan has been in turmoil since April 2023, with the conflict leading to thousands of deaths and displacing approximately 13 million people, as estimated by the UN and other international bodies.