N.Ireland Protestant Cease-fire with Catholics Push Peace Dialogue Forward

On Friday 12th November, the Britain’s governor for Northern Ireland, Paul Murphy announced that a credible cease-fire by the Ulster Defense Association (UDA) was recognised by the British government.

UDA is a brutal anti-Catholic organisation made up of 3,000 members, mostly Protestants, across the country. UDA and its associated group the Ulster Freedom Fighters, are blamed for the death of more than 400 Catholics during three decades of violence in Northern Ireland. It has been excluded from multiparty negotiations since October 2001.

Because of a significant decline in violence attributed to the group recently, the government will resume normal contact with UDA representatives. This shed light to the Northern Ireland’s peace process between Catholics and Protestant extremists.

“I am persuaded that the UDA is now prepared to go down a different road, moving away from its paramilitary past,” Murphy expressed his hope in UDA.

The Catholics in Northern Ireland, however, still keep alert to the UDA, saying that it is still causing terror with its intimidation and hatred crimes in many parts of Northern Ireland.

Mark Durkan from Social Democratic and Labour Party, who represents moderate Catholic opinion even said, “Britain needs to tell the UDA to shut down or to be closed down, to wind up or to be locked up.”

Northern Ireland has been plagued by three decades of political and sectarian violence between Protestants committed to keeping the union with Britain and Catholics who want to end it and unite with the Irish Republic.