Gibril Ibrahim Mohammed (, born 1 January 1955), often spelled Jibril, is a Sudanese politician. He is the leader of the

Justice and Equality Movement The Justice and Equality Movement (JEM; , ') is an opposition group in Sudan founded by Khalil Ibrahim. Gibril Ibrahim has led the group since January 2012 after the death of Khalil, his brother, in December 2011. The JEM supported the removal ...

(JEM) since 2012, after the death of his brother, Khalil. In October 2020 he signed the Juba Peace Agreement. As a result, Ibrahim has served as Minister of Finance of Sudan since February 2021. As leader of the JEM he was neutral in the 2023 War in Sudan from April until November, when he allied with the Sudanese Armed Forces.

Biography

Ibrahim was born on 1 January 1955 in al-Tina,

North Darfur North Darfur State ( Wilāyat Šamāl Dārfūr; ''Shamal Darfor'') is one of the wilayat or states of Sudan. It is one of the five states composing the Darfur region. It has an area of 296,420 km2 and an estimated population of approximat ...

, in what was then

Anglo-Egyptian Sudan Anglo-Egyptian Sudan ( ') was a condominium (international law), condominium of the United Kingdom and Kingdom of Egypt, Egypt between 1899 and 1956, corresponding mostly to the territory of present-day South Sudan and Sudan. Legally, sovereig ...

. His father died when he was 4. Ibrahim studied for an undergraduate degree at the University of Khartoum, before leaving

Sudan Sudan, officially the Republic of the Sudan, is a country in Northeast Africa. It borders the Central African Republic to the southwest, Chad to the west, Libya to the northwest, Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the east, Eritrea and Ethiopi ...

at the age of 25. Ibrahim was offered a scholarship in Japan, where he spent 7 years, completing his master's degree and doctorate in economics at

Meiji University is a Private university, private research university in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. Originally founded as Meiji Law School () by three lawyers in 1881, it became a university in April 1920. As of May 2023, Meiji has 32,261 undergradu ...

. He became a fluent Japanese speaker. Ibrahim later returned to Sudan, before leaving again for

Dubai Dubai (Help:IPA/English, /duːˈbaɪ/ Help:Pronunciation respelling key, ''doo-BYE''; Modern Standard Arabic, Modern Standard Arabic: ; Emirati Arabic, Emirati Arabic: , Romanization of Arabic, romanized: Help:IPA/English, /diˈbej/) is the Lis ...

in 2000 due to his opposition to the government. In Dubai he served as the Economic Advisor for JEM for 6 years, before travelling to the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

in 2006 to serve as the

's (JEM) Secretary of Foreign Affairs. Ibrahim formerly taught as associate professor of economics at

King Saud University King Saud University (KSU, ) is a public university in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Established in 1957 by King Saud bin Abdulalziz to address the country's skilled worker shortage, it is the first university in Saudi Arabia. It was known as Riyadh U ...

in Saudi Arabia. He was part of JEM's negotiating team at the failed peace talks in Abuja and Doha. On 26 January 2012 he was elected chairman of the JEM, after his brother, Khalil, had been killed in a

Sudanese Air Force The Sudanese Air Force () is the air force, aerial warfare branch of the Military of Sudan, Sudanese Armed Forces. It was established in 1956 following Sudan's independence earlier that year, and first saw action in the First Sudanese Civil War. ...

airstrike in Northern Kordofan in December 2011. In October 2020, Ibrahim, as leader of the JEM and one of the leaders of the Sudan Revolutionary Front, he signed the Juba Peace Agreement. This resulted in his naming as

Minister of Finance A ministry of finance is a ministry or other government agency in charge of government finance, fiscal policy, and financial regulation. It is headed by a finance minister, an executive or cabinet position . A ministry of finance's portfolio ...

in the cabinet of

Abdalla Hamdok Abdalla Hamdok Al-Kinani (also transliterated ''Abdallah'', ''Hamdouk'', '' AlKinani''; ; born 1 January 1956) is a Sudanese public administrator who served as the 15th prime minister of Sudan from 2019 to October 2021, and again from November ...

on 10 February 2021. He continued to hold the position after the events of the 2021 Sudanese coup d'état on 25 October. In March 2023 he argued for an inclusive government and ultimately the integration of all armed forces to the Sudanese Armed Forces. At the start of hostilities in the 2023 War in Sudan Ibrahim and his JEM pledged neutrality. He also called for a halt of the fighting. In September 2023, Ibrahim's home in Al-Manshiyya, Khartoum was raided and the leader of his guard team and two others were detained by the

Rapid Support Forces The Rapid Support Forces (RSF; ) is a paramilitary force formerly operated by the government of Sudan. The RSF grew out of, and is primarily composed of, the Janjaweed militias which previously fought on behalf of the Sudanese government. RSF ...

(RSF). In November 2023 he announced that the JEM would participate in the 2023 Sudan war on the side of the SAF. As finance minister he saw the Sudanese pound lose 100% of its value compared to the situation before the war, which was caused by a high demand for foreign currency. The economy declined by 40% in 2023 and had a projected decrease of a further 28% in 2024.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ibrahim, Gibril 1955 births Living people Meiji University alumni University of Khartoum alumni Academic staff of King Saud University Finance ministers of Sudan People from North Darfur People of the War in Darfur Sudanese academics Zaghawa people People of the Sudanese civil war (2023–present) 21st-century Sudanese politicians