Darfur rebels name new leader

DARFUR, Sudan, Jan. 27 (UPI) -- The Sudanese rebel group the Justice and Equality Movement named Gibril Ibrahim to succeed his dead brother Khalil as the group's leader, officials say.

Gibril Ibrahim, a former university professor, was elected Tuesday in the wake of his brother's Dec. 25 death in an airstrike, the BBC reported.

Khalil established the group following a failed 2008 assault on the Sudanese capital of Khartoum. In February 2010, the rebel group signed a cease-fire with the Sudanese government but abandoned peace talks, accusing the government of launching new raids in Darfur.