On March 26, 2007 leaders of Northern Ireland’s Protestant Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) and Catholic party Sinn Fein signed a historic power-sharing deal. Ian Paisley and Gerry Adams, seated next to each other refused to shake hands, but confirmed in a follow-on press conference that the two parties would equally share control of Northern Ireland. The plan will commence on May 8, 2007. The deal struck will likely cause hard-line Irish Republican Army (IRA) dissidents angered by Sinn Fein’s perceived acquiescence of power to reassert their violent campaign in Northern Ireland and further undermine the peace deal.
Catholic and Protestant Leaders Strike Up Long Awaited Power Sharing Deal
In what British Prime Minister Tony Blair called a momentous day for Northern Ireland, Protestant DUP leader Ian Paisley and Catholic Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams, reached an agreement to jointly control Northern Ireland on March 26, 2007, effectively concluding a bitter battle between the two political parties. Paisley expressed his party’s commitment to full participation in the agreement as Adams expressed it was now a new era for Northern Ireland. The deal comes nine years after a Good Friday peace agreement originally set out to establish joint rule with British-imposed deadlines to agree or secede power to British forces. However, this current agreement is being hailed as a significant milestone in the peace process. As Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern expressed, it has the potential to transform the future of the island.
In January 2007, in a clear step away from his past attitudes, Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams began a public campaign to enforce an end to violence and disarm the militant wing of the party. An unlikely peace supporter, Adams had long defended IRA bloodshed and widespread destruction as an effective means to force Northern Ireland away from the UK. He now faces an uphill battle attempting to persuade radical IRA members to accept this latest plan. Adams is promoting cooperation with police forces and calling for IRA dissidents to abandon their cause. Two splinter factions, the Real IRA and Continuity IRA continue to mount significant attacks in the territory. Adams has made clear his belief that the peace process might be the way for Northern Ireland’s Catholic minority to achieve its goal of a peaceful reunification with the Republic of Ireland.
Five Suspected IRA Radicals Arrested
In line with historical precedence, radical IRA dissidents are attempting to derail the March 26, 2007, agreement. On March 30, 2007, just four days after the agreement was signed, police arrested five suspected IRA dissidents and closed the Belfast-Dublin cross-border railway due to a bomb threat. Northern Ireland police, backed by the British military spent the day searching the rail line, but found no evidence of a bomb. At nightfall, the authorities came under attack by IRA supporters, who damaged several police vehicles by hurling Molotov cocktails and other incendiary devices.
IRA bomb threats against the rail line previously were commonplace, however have slowed since the outlawed IRA agreed to a long-term cease-fire in 1994. In the recent escalation, many of the threats originated in the religiously divided town of Lurgan. Its most hard-line Catholic neighborhood, Kilwilkie, sits directly beside the train track and was the focal point of Friday’s riots. Police arrested four of the suspects in a car near the train tracks and a fifth later in the day, all in Lurgan. Cross-border train services resumed operations over the weekend between Dublin and the Northern Ireland border town of Newry, but passengers in both directions were required to use buses for the Newry-Belfast part of the journey.
Despite Peace Deal IRA Radicals Continue Their Violent Campaign
In 2005, the Roman Catholic paramilitary IRA officially renounced violence and dismantled its arsenal. This has not stopped a violent campaign waged by radical members who have since joined splinter groups, many of which are thought to be responsible for attempting to derail the current peace process. The most recent evidence of their existence occurred in Belfast in 2006, when an intense firebombing campaign occurred. Despite the historic power-sharing plan signed by the DUP and Sinn Fein in March 2007, many hard-line IRA members representing two radical break off factions, the Real IRA and Continuity IRA continue to attempt to derail the plan and return Sinn Fein to its days of civil disobedience and violence. For instance, in November 2006, Sinn Fein leadership were advised that they were the targets of death threats from dissident republicans.
Weakening Support May Mean Reversion of Old Tactics
Radical dissidents consider Gerry Adams, and his chief negotiator Martin McGuinness, traitors. Both the Real IRA and Continuity IRA lack a sustainable support base. They have abandoned more expensive campaigns such as car and facility bombings and now employ less expensive tactics such as random firebombs. However, despite a clear lack of monetary funds, each is determined to exploit internal Sinn Fein difficulties and possibly build on the success of the 2006 firebombing campaign. The Real IRA contends its main goal is to disrupt normal life and not allow the British and Sinn Fein to form agreements. Further, due to its brutal firebombing campaign, the Real IRA continues to alienate working-class nationalist communities and would-be Real IRA supporters. As the Real IRA continues to displease the Northern Ireland population, it will inevitably become increasingly difficult to maintain their already waning support. However, despite a lack of popular support, disaffected IRA members will seek to ratchet-up their attacks, using whatever tactics they can including potentially reverting to past physical threats on Sinn Fein leaders and other high-ranking political officials.
