UCDP

General information

Part of Conflict: United Kingdom: Northern Ireland

Date of first stated goals of incompatibility: 1998-05-08
Comment on date of first stated goal of incompatibility: The RIRA was formed in November 1997 by dissident IRA member reacting to Sinn Féins decision to join the peace process. Even though it was obvious that the rIRA pursued the IRA original goal Brits out from Ireland, no incompatibility was officially stated until 8 May. On this date, the rIRA issued a statement saying that military attacks would resume. In particular the group said that it had declared war on the British Cabinet. Another statement of aims on 11 July (in the rIRA newsletter Defence of the Nation) read "We reaffirm the right of the Irish people to armed struggle in pursuit of national sovereignty."

Date of first use of armed force: 1998-06-24
Comment on date of first use of armed force: The rIRA was believed to have carried out its first attack on 16 September 1997, when a van bomb exploded at a RUC station in Markethill in Northern Ireland. Several similar attacks were also staged in the first few months of 1998. However, no explicitly stated goal of incompatibility by the rIRA was recorded until 8 May 1998. The date of first use of armed force must therefore be seen as 24 June 1998, when a car bomb exploded in Newtownhamilton in Northern Ireland.
First Battle Related Death: 1998-08-15
Comment on First Battle Related Death: The first casualty in the dyad occurred in the rIRA bombing in Omagh centre. The bomb was intended to explode near the Omagh courthouse, but went off near the market street.

Date when dyad reached 25 battle releated deaths: 1998-08-15
Comment on date when dyad reached 25 battle related deaths: 28 people died in the Omagh bombing.

Conflict issues

Conflict Goal Issues: RIRA (Real Irish Republican Army) was a rebel group that fought the [Government of United Kingdom(/#/actor/28). The group had a nationalist ideology and emphasized subnational goals specifically focused on Northern Ireland. RIRA’s first conflict goal issues were documented in 1997, when the group splintered from the main group PIRA. In that year, RIRA expressed its wish for fundamental constitutional changes that would ultimately make Northern Ireland leave the United Kingdom and form a united country with Ireland.

Only few conflict issues by RIRA were documented and only in the years 1997 and 1998. Hence, no developments over time can be observed from the collected data. In 1998, as in the year before, the group vowed to work until the political system had changed. In the same year, RIRA stressed that the so-called Stormont deal could only be a success if it would lead to a united Ireland. Due to the low number of documented conflict goal issues, no main issues could be identified.

Conflict Dynamics Issues: The project did not find any stated conflict dynamic issue for this group.
Conflict Resolution Issues: The only conflict resolution issues by RIRA were documented in 1997. In that year, the group’s members raised opposition to disarming. Prior to that, the [Government of United Kingdom(/#/actor/28) had multiple times called on PIRA, the main group, to disarm. Due to a low number of documented conflict resolution issues, no developments over time can be observed. RIRA repeated its opposition towards disarmament in 1998, when the group criticized its former comrades in PIRA for calling for disarmament.

Type of conflict issues: *Conflict Goal Issues: * Constitutional issues, CPS: Undefined system, Irredentism

*Conflict Dynamics Issues: *

*Conflict Resolution Issues: * DDR issues

Annual information

This section contains annual information systematically collected by the UCDP.