Justice and Equality Movement The Justice and Equality Movement ( JEM ) ( , " " ) is a Sudanese opposition group founded by Khalil Ibrahim , the group has been led since January 2012 by his brother Gibril Ibrahim , as Khalil was killed in December 2011 . JEM ' s political agenda includes issues such as : radical and comprehensive constitutional reform to grant Sudan ' s regions a greater share of power in ruling the country ( one point of this is a rotating presidency ) , the replacement of social injustice and political tyranny with justice and equality , and basic services for every Sudanese . Formation and organization . The beginnings of the Justice and Equality Movement trace to the writers of the " " , a manuscript published in 2000 that details the structural inequality in the country ; the JEM founder , Khalil Ibrahim , was one of the authors . JEM advocates replacing the dictatorship of Omar al - Bashir and the ruling Congress Party with a civil , democratic state that respects that respects the rights of Sudan ' s various ethnic groups , women , and youth . The JEM further committed itself to these principles when it signed the New Dawn Charter in January 2013 . JEM possesses forces numbering around 35 , 000 and has the largest base and spread of support in Sudan among the groups opposed to the government of president Omar al - Bashir . Rather than being based on only a few ethnic groups , the membership of the organization is ethnically diverse and has a leadership which includes both Black Africans and Arabs . Illustrating this diversity is the fact that some of the leadership of the group are members of President Bashir ' s tribe . JEM is part of the Sudan Revolutionary Front ( SRF ) , an alliance of groups opposed to the government in Khartoum that include the Sudan Liberation Movement ( Abdul Wahed ) , the Sudan Liberation Movement ( Minnawi ) , and the Sudan Liberation Movement - North . History of attacks . In October 2007 , the JEM attacked the Defra oilfield in the Kordofan region of Sudan . The Greater Nile Petroleum Operating Company , a Chinese - led consortium , controls the field . The next month , a group of 135 Chinese engineers arrived in Darfur to work on the Defra field . Ibrahim told reporters , " We oppose them coming because the Chinese are not interested in human rights . [ They are ] just interested in Sudan ' s resources . " The JEM claims that the revenue from oil sold to China funds the Sudanese government and the Janjaweed militia . On the morning of December 11 , 2007 , Khalil Ibrahim claimed that JEM forces fought and defeated Sudanese government troops guarding a Chinese - run oilfield in the Kordofan region . Khartoum officials , however , denied that any oil fields had come under attack . Ibrahim said that the attack was part of a JEM campaign to rid Sudan of Chinese - run oilfields and stated that " [ The JEM ] want all Chinese companies to leave . They have been warned many times . They should not be there . " In May 2008 , JEM engaged in its most famous operation against the Sudanese government when it attacked the Sudanese capital of Khartoum . JEM ' s advance recorded many impressive gains which included temporarily controlling the city of Omdurman , the airport at the Wadi Sayedna military base , north of Khartoum , and three bridges leading into the capital . The operation ended with heavy battles in the western part of the Sudanese capital that included the government ' s use of army helicopters to repel the JEM advance . Following this battle , Eltahir Elfaki , the General Secretary of JEM ' s legislative council , vowed that the war would henceforth be fought across the country , saying that " We haven ' t changed our tactics . From the beginning , Jem is a national movement and it has a national agenda . " Khalil Ibrahim declared that " This is just the start of a process and the end is the termination of this regime " . In April 2013 , JEM and its allies in the Sudan Revolutionary Front engaged in many successful attacks against Sudanese government forces . In a raid coordinated between all the parties of the SRF that included the use of 20 vehicles , the opposition forces briefly held the strategic city of Um Rawaba in North Kordofan , located south of Khartoum . As part of the offensive , JEM and the SRF also gained control of Abu Korshola , a strategic town of 40 , 000 in South Kordofan . In its bid to retake control , the Sudanese Armed Forces engaged in indiscriminate air raid campaigns . On May 27 , the opposition forces withdrew in order to allow humanitarian aid to be delivered to the area ' s residents . Since then , opposition forces continue to engage in offensive operations , leading to dozens of casualties for Sudanese forces around Abu Korshola .