SUMMARY

The Ulster Defence Association (UDA), or the Ulster Freedom Fighters (UFF), was an Ulster loyalist paramilitary group based in Northern Ireland. The organisation was founded in 1971 as a coalition of several loyalist vigilante groups fighting Irish republican groups, such as the Provisional Irish Republican Army (PIRA). Starting in 1973 the group used the cover name “Ulster Freedom Fighters” in order to claim responsibility for sectarian murders of Catholics thus UDA remained legal until 1992. Although the goal of the organisation was to defend Protestant communities from republican attacks, the majority of the people killed by UDA were Catholic civilians killed in retaliation.

A ceasefire was announced by UDA in 1994 as a response to PIRA’s ceasefire weeks earlier. Since then only a few attacks have been carried out by UDA, and in 2007 the organisation stated that they will put their weapons “beyond use” and in 2010 weapons were totally decommissioned.

UDA has been involved in the one-sided category of UCDP organised violence.