Northern Ireland’s largest and most active Protestant guerrilla organization, the Ulster Defense Association, gave a lift to the flagging peace process on Saturday when it announced a 12-month cease-fire. The outlawed group, riven by murderous in-fighting and criminal activity in recent months, said it was stepping back from the brink and attempting to re-engage in politics. Many in the British-ruled province are likely to greet the announcement with skepticism given the UDA’s recent history of violence, but at a news conference on Saturday the group’s political representatives said the cease-fire was “absolute.” In a statement released by the Ulster Political Research Group, the political face of the UDA, the paramilitary group said it had “begun to observe a 12-month period of military inactivity,” to be reviewed every three months “to ensure that there is real and genuine political movement.” Full Story
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