Who are the Justice and Equality Movement?

Feb 23 (Reuters) – Darfur’s Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) rebels on Tuesday said they were attacked by government forces just two days after signing a ceasefire deal with Sudan’s government.
Sudan is to offer JEM government positions as part of a peace deal to be signed in Doha later on Tuesday.
Here are some facts on the rebel movement:

* ORIGINS:
— JEM first announced its existence in August 2001. It also announced an alliance with the Sudan Liberation Movement/Army (SLM/A). However its origins go back to cells first formed from members of the National Islamic Front in 1993.
* VIOLENCE IN DARFUR:
— JEM was among mostly non-Arab rebels that took up arms against the Sudanese government in 2003, complaining that their region was being marginalised.
— Khartoum mobilised its army and mostly-Arab militias to crush the revolt. Washington and some activists have said genocide took place during the counter-insurgency, an accusation Khartoum has denied.
— In May 2007 the U.S tightened its sanctions against Sudan including, JEM leader Khalil Ibrahim. The Treasury Department blamed JEM for continuing the violence and said Ibrahim was personally responsible for rebel activity aimed at further destabilizing the region.
— JEM did not attend peace talks in Libya in late 2007, objecting to the presence of rebel groups they said had no constituency and no place at the table.
— In March 2008, JEM demanded one-on-one peace talks with Sudan, saying it was the only viable insurgent force left in Darfur. New weapons, which Sudan said came from directly from Chad’s government, turned the JEM into the largest military threat to the Khartoum government on the ground.
— In May 2008 JEM made a lightning advance from the western Darfur region to attack Khartoum. Around 200 people were killed in the unsuccessful attack. The next day Sudan accused Chad of backing the rebels — Chadian President Idriss Deby is from the same Zaghawa tribe as JEM leader Ibrahim — and cut diplomatic relations. Chad denied involvement.
* TALK OF PEACE:
–Sudan and JEM started talks in Qatar in Feb. 2009 agreeing on confidence-building measures. JEM wanted the government to agree to a prisoner swap and an end to the bombardment of what it said were civilian areas in Darfur. It also demanded that Khartoum pledge not to impede humanitarian aid and refrain from harassing displaced people.
— However one month later JEM decided to end peace talks with the government until it let back aid groups into Darfur. Bashir had expelled the groups after the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for him over alleged war crimes. Talks between JEM and Sudan adjourned in June 2009 without agreement, with both sides blaming each other for the impasse.
— Last weekend Sudan agreed a ceasefire with JEM as part of an agreement to “heal” the war in Darfur, Bashir said.
— JEM said the framework agreement reached in the Chadian capital N’Djamena was not a final peace deal but set out the terms for negotiations.
— Bashir said he would cancel death sentences handed out to JEM prisoners and free 30 percent of them immediately. More than 100 men were sentenced to death by hanging after being found guilty of taking part in the 2008 attack on Khartoum.