Referat Irish conflict - Who is fighting whom?

Irish conflict

Who is fighting whom?

It is not so much a fight between ordinary Catholic and Protestant citizens but rather a fight between extremist groups from either side of the divide. If one group carries out a violent act, it is usually responded by the other. The killings involved are usually referred to as sectarian or tit for tat' - killings. These are the extremist groups:

_{Catholics                                                                                                                    Protestants}

IRA the Irish Republican Army) Provisional IRA (Provos)

_{INLA (the Irish National Liberation Army)}

UVF (Ulster Volunteer Force) UDA Ulster Defence Association) UFF Ulster Freedom Fighters)

The military structure of the IRA

This is a map of the city of Belfast with Skankill (Protestant) and Falls Catholic) Roads

Irish Republican Army (IRA)

synonyms: Provisional Irish Republican Army (PIRA), Provos, Direct Action Against Drugs

The main Republican paramilitary group involved in the Northern Ireland conflict. The central aim of the IRA is to end British control of Northern Ireland and to achieve the reunification of the island of Ireland. The Provisional IRA was established when the IRA split in December 1969 between the Officials' and the

'Provisionals . Both groupings had a military wing, the Official' and 'Provisional' IRA, and both had a political wing, the Official' and 'Provisional' Sinn Féin (SF). The Official' IRA declared a cease-fire in the summer of

1972 and from then on the term IRA was used for the organisation that had developed from the 'Provisional'

IRA. From a splinter group of a small and badly equipped paramilitary grouping the 'Provisional' IRA developed into a comparatively large, well financed, well equipped guerrilla organisation which has been involved in, what it calls, an armed campaign' for almost three decades. This campaign has involved violent attacks on the security system in the region and on the civilian population. According to Sutton ) the IRA was responsible for the deaths of 5 people between July 9 and December . During the same period the IRA lost approximately 3 members. As part of the 'Peace Process' the IRA called a cease-fire on 1 August However, because of what it considered a lack of political movement in the peace process the IRA resumed its

'armed campaign' on 9 February . After the election of a Labour government to Westminster a number of developments led to the resumption of the IRA cease-fire on 0 July . The IRA considered that the Good Friday Agreement 'document clearly falls short of presenting a solid basis for a lasting settlement' (statement 0

April 1998) however the IRA did not reject Agreement. The IRA is currently on cease-fire but has refused to decommission its weapons; an act which it considers to be a surrender to the British Crown.

Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF)

synonyms: Protestant Action Force; Protestant Action Group

The Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) is a Loyalist paramilitary group that was formed in . The group adopted the name of the previous UVF which was formed in 2 to oppose, by armed force, the arrangements for Home Rule in Ireland. Potential conflict in Ireland was averted by the First World War and many of the members of the then UVF joined the British Army's th Ulster) Division and fought - and died in large numbers - on the battlefields of the Somme. The aim of the present UVF is to ensure that Northern Ireland's constitutional position within the United Kingdom is secure. The re-established UVF was opposed to the reform that were being

considered in Northern Ireland in the late s and early 1970s. As Loyalist paramilitary groups often did not

claim responsibility for the killings they committed and on many occasions used pseudonyms, it is difficult to give an accurate count of the number of people killed by each organisation. However, the UVF has been responsible, over a period of almost 0 years, for scores of assassinations in Northern Ireland, mostly of innocent Catholics. The UVF is also believed to have been responsible for the greatest loss of life in a single day when it planted bombs in Dublin and Monaghan on 7 May 4 killing 3 innocent people. In May 6 the UVF

killed a Catholic man in the Falls Road, Belfast. On 6 June 6 Peter Ward , who was working as a barman in a pub in the Shankill Road, Belfast, was shot dead as he left work. Augustus ('Gusty') Spence was sentenced to life imprisonment for this killing. In the early 1970s the main centres of UVF influence were the Shankill area of Belfast, East Antrim, and parts of County Armagh. In April 4 Merlyn Rees, then Secretary

of Sate for Northern Ireland, removed the proscription on the UVF (making it a legal organisation) in an attempt to encourage it to move towards constitutional politics. However, on 2 October 5 the UVF carried out a number of attacks in which 2 people died, 6 of them were Catholic civilians. On 3 October 5 the UVF was once again 'proscribed'. On 5 October 5 the security forces swooped on a number of houses in Belfast and East Antrim and arrested 6 suspected UVF men. In March 7 the men were sentenced to a total of 0 years imprisonment. In April 3 Joseph Bennett, who was a commander in the UVF, became an informer giving the RUC information which lead to the conviction of 4 leading members of the UVF. In the coming years the UVF was to suffer from the effects of further informers. During the s the UVF had a particularly active unit in the Portadown area of Northern Ireland which was responsible for the killing of many innocent Catholics. The UVF became a part of the Combined Loyalist Military Command (CLMC) in 1 . In 6 a number of disaffected 'maverick' members of the mid-Ulster brigade of the UVF broke away to form the Loyalist Volunteer Force (LVF . The Progressive Unionist Party (PUP) is considered to be the source of political analysis for the UVF. The UVF has been on ceasefire since October . The announcement of the ceasefire by the CLMC was made by Gusty' Spence. [Estimates of the level of membership and the size of the arsenal of weapons available

to the UVF are difficult to make. The UVF may have reached its high point with a membership of approximately

1,500 in the early 1970s. It is probable that the UVF currently has several hundred members many of whom would provide support to those who actually carry out attacks. The UVF is believed to have access to AK-47 rifles, pistols, and revolvers. It also believed to have a small number of RPG 7 rocket launchers. The UVF has also used stolen Powergel mining explosive in a number of attacks some of which were launched in the Republic of Ireland.]

Membership: Membership of the UVF is estimated to be up to several hundred, with a smaller number being

'active' members.

Arsenal: 200 AK 7 rifles, Uzi machineguns, and machine pistols also home-made submachine guns); dozens of pistols and revolvers. The UVF also has a small number of RPG-7 rocket launchers and a small amount of

Powergel (commercial plastic explosive), some of which has been used in occasional bomb attacks in the

Republic of Ireland.

Ulster Defence Association (UDA)

synonyms: Ulster Freedom Fighters

The UDA was, and remains, the largest Loyalist paramilitary group in Northern Ireland. It was formed in September 1 from a number of Loyalist vigilante groups many of which were called 'defence associations'; one such group was the Shankill Defence Association. The UDA's first leader was Charles Smith. Members of

the UDA have, since , used the cover name of Ulster Freedom Fighters (UFF) to claim the responsibility for the killing of Catholics. Despite the well known link between the two groups the UDA was only proscribed (declared illegal) on 0 August . The UDA attracted many thousands of members (at its peak the estimated membership was ) and very quickly became a formidable force particularly in Belfast. The UDA had a policy of excluding Members of Parliament (MPs) and clergymen from its membership and sought to retain its working-class credentials. During the protests against the imposition of direct rule from Westminster the UDA campaigned with Ulster Vanguard and the Loyalist Association of Workers (LAW). The UDA arranged massive displays of strength on the streets of Belfast during the summer of , when thousands of 'uniformed' members marched through the city centre. One of the biggest 'stand-offs' between the UDA and the British Army at this time took place on 3 July 2 in Belfast, when 0 UDA members confronted 0 troops. However, it was during the May 4 Ulster Workers' Council strike that the UDA carried out its biggest operation. It was the UDA, through the use of road blocks, which brought large sections of Northern Ireland to a stand-still. From

1973 the UFF was responsible for scores of shootings and bombing attacks. In 7 the UDA supported the United Unionist Action Council UUAC) strike, but it did not support Ian Paisley's Day of Action' nor his 'Third Force' in . In 8 the UDA sponsored the New Ulster Political Research Group (NUPRG) a political think- tank. In March 9 the NUPRG issued a proposal for an independent Northern Ireland. In June 1 the Ulster Loyalist Democratic Party (ULDP) was established to replace the NUPRG. The ULDP advocated independence for Northern Ireland within the British Commonwealth and the European Community. The UDA opposed the Anglo-Irish Agreement but was not in favour of a national strike over the issue. In January 7 the UDA published the document Common Sense which set out plans for a future political settlement. The document did receive favourable responses from the British government, the Northern Ireland Office (NIO), and the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP). In December 7 John McMichael, then deputy leader of the UDA, was killed in a bomb attack carried out by the Irish Republican Army (IRA). However, it was alleged that McMichael had been set up by fellow members of the UDA. Early in 8 Andy Tyrie was removed as leader of the UDA and control passed to an inner council' of six members. During 8 large quantities of arms were secured by

the UDA some of which came from South Africa. In October 8 both the UDA and the UFF were included in the direct broadcasting ban. In 9 the ULDP changed its name to Ulster Democratic Party UDP). During the Stevens inquiry it became apparent that the UDA had access to a large number of security files on Republicans and suspected members of Republican paramilitary groups. During the s the UFF stepped up its attacks on Catholics and Republicans. It also attacked SDLP politicians and councillors. There were a number of multiple killings including: five Catholics on 5 February 2 in Belfast; three Catholics on 4 November ; six Catholics during 8 hours in March ; and six Catholics and one Protestant on 0 October . The UDA and the UFF joined with other Loyalist paramilitary groups in calling a ceasefire on 3 October 4 in response to the earlier IRA ceasefire. The UDP earned a place at the multi-party talks following the Forum election in

May 1996. The UFF (and the UDA) broke their ceasefire during December 7 and January 8 and this resulted in the UDP being expelled from the talks. The UDP were readmitted to the talks when the UFF announced a renewed ceasefire on 3 January . Although the paramilitary organisations had resevations about the Good Friday Agreement they backed the UDP in its support for the Agreement.

Membership: At its peak in the mid-1970s, the UDA could organise 0 members on the streets of Belfast. Its current strength is probably several hundred with a few dozen being active' in the Ulster Freedom Fighters (UFF) a covername used by the UDA.

Arsenal: 200 AK 7 rifles, Uzi machineguns, and machine pistols also home-made submachine guns, perhaps hundreds); 0 handguns; an unknown amount of Powergel commercial plastic explosive) which was probably obtained some time in

Ulster Freedom Fighters (UFF

synonyms: Ulster Defence Association (UDA)

The UFF is a cover-name used by the UDA and as such the UFF could draw on the support of one of the largest

Loyalist paramilitary groups in Northern Ireland. (see: Ulster Defence Association; UDA)

Irish National Liberation Army (INLA)

synonyms: People s Liberation Army (PLA); People s Republican Army (PRA); Catholic Reaction Force CRF)

A Republican paramilitary group which was established in . This group initially used the name People's Liberation Army (PLA) before adopting the name INLA. The INLA has also used a number of covernames including, People s Republican Army (PRA) and Catholic Reaction Force CRF . At the time it was formed the INLA was considered to be the military wing of the Irish Republican Socialist Party (IRSP). The aim of the INLA, and the IRSP, is the re-unification of Ireland and the creation of a revolutionary socialist republic. Many of the initial recruits for the INLA were believed to have come from the Official Irish Republican Army OIRA) which had called a ceasefire in . Much of the support came from the Markets and Lower Falls areas of Belfast and from parts of County Derry. The INLA achieved world attention when it claimed responsibility for the bomb which killed Airey Neave within the grounds of the Palace of Westminster. Members of the INLA have been involved in a number of feuds when splinter groups developed and numerous previous members have died at the hands of former associates. During the ceasefires that began in 4 the INLA did not declare a ceasefire, instead it adopted a policy of 'no-first-strike . The INLA has always been a much smaller, and less active, paramilitary group than the Irish Republican Army (IRA). The INLA has killed approximately 125 people during the conflict of whom 5 were members of the security forces. The INLA has had approximately

) members killed. The INLA called a ceasefire on 2 August

Membership: Estimated at a couple of dozen active members with a network of supporters in Ireland and continental Europe.

Arsenal: Small stocks of rifles, hand guns and, possibly, grenades; it is also believed to have a small stock of commercial explosive from a source in New Zealand in the mid-1990s.

Reading:

Jack Holland and Henry McDonald ) INLA Deadly Divisions

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