Dissident Irish Republican Campaign 1998

Dissident Irish Republican Campaign 1998 - Present

The Dissident Irish Republican campaign is an armed campaign currently taking place in Northern Ireland. Dissident Irish Republicans initiated the campaign after the Provisional IRA called a ceasefire in 1997 and the Good Friday Agreement was reached in 1998. Dissident Irish republicans aim to bring about a United Ireland by using force against British Government forces and the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI), as well as attacking economic targets using car-bombs and other weapons. To date the British security forces have suffered 5 fatalities (2 British Soldiers, 2 PSNI officers, 1 RUC officer), and one PSNI officer was seriously injured by a booby trap bomb under his car. Neither Dissident Republicans nor Loyalist paramilitaries have suffered casualties at the hands of the security forces or each other in the present campaign, although 3 Real IRA volunteers have been killed, 1 was killed by the Provisional IRA, another was killed by the Garda Síochána during a foiled bank robbery in the Irish Republic, and the third was killed by the Real IRA themselves for alleged involvement in the drugs trade.
Origins of the Campaign and splits in the Republican Movement
Ever since the first invasion of Ireland in 1169 by English Normans, England and later Britain has ruled Ireland in part or in whole. Successive Irish rebellions against English and British rule failed and the Plantation of Ulster left a significant Protestant Unionist minority in Ireland, particularly in the North eastern part of Ireland (This would later become Northern Ireland). After the 1916 Easter Rising a guerrilla war was fought between the newly Formed Irish Republican Army and British forces in Ireland. At the wars conclusion a compromise was met in the form of the anglo-Irish treaty, in which it was stated that 26 of Irelands 32 counties would secede from the United Kingdom and become the Irish Free State, which would be a British dominion. The remaining 6 counties would remain a part of the United Kingdom. A civil war followed and the IRA split for the first time, into the Irish National Army, which became the official armed forces of the Irish Free State. The remaining IRA volunteers kept the name Irish Republican Army and unsuccessfully tried to defeat the newly formed Free State, however the war ended in defeat for the Anti-Treaty IRA. Violence towards the Free State eventually fizzled out and the IRA focused on the British in Northern Ireland. After a number of unsuccessful campaigns to end British rule in Northern Ireland the IRA went into decline, and as a consequence was unable to protect nationalist areas of Northenr Ireland in the 1969 Northern Ireland Riots, this resulted in a number of nationalist areas being burnt to the ground, and the IRA was embarrassed. After this the IRA split again, into the Official IRA and the Provisional IRA, with the provisionals quicly becoming the dominant force in Irish republicanism and the officials following marxist politics and eventually calling a ceasefire in 1972. In 1986 the Continuity IRA split from the Provisional IRA after a dispute over whether to end the traditional Abstentionist policies of the IRA. Eventually in 1997 the Provisional IRA called a ceasefire to allow peace talks to take place, hardliners in the Provisionals split away to form the Real IRA, which promised to continue using 'armed struggle' to end British rule in Northern Ireland. Eventually the Provisional IRA called a permanent ceasefire, renounced violence and decommissioned its arsenal of weaponry. After this the Real IRA and the Continuity IRA began their campaigns in earnest. And another group, calling itself Óglaigh na hÉireann split from the Real IRA. Óglaigh na hÉireann, or ONH as it is abbreviated, is considered the most active and dangerous dissident paramilitary in Northern Ireland.
Beginnings of the campaign
The first dissident grouping to carry out attacks in Northern Ireland were the Continuity IRA, when they carried out a bomb attack in Enniskillen in 1994, although it had existed since 1986 it did not begin attacks until after the first Provisional IRA ceasefire of 1994. The CIRA carried out a number of attacks over the next 3 years before the Provisionals called their second ceasefire, notably these attacks included a 1,200 lb car bomb outside a hotel in County Fermanagh and a number of other car bombings. After the Real IRA split form the provisionals it quickly became active and carried out a number of attacks, the first being an unsuccessful car bombing attempt in January 1998. Both groups carried out a number of attacks throughout 1998 in an attempt to destabilise the Northern Ireland Peace Process.
The Omagh Bombing
On 15 August 1998 the RIRA left a car containing 500 lb of home-made explosives in the centre of Omagh, County Tyrone. The bombers could not find a parking space near the intended target of the courthouse, and the car was left 400 metres away. As a result three inaccurate telephone warnings were issued, and the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) believed the bomb was actually located outside the courthouse. They attempted to establish a security cordon to keep civilians clear of the area, which inadvertently pushed people closer to the actual location of the bomb. Shortly after, the bomb exploded killing 29 people and injuring 220 others, in what became the deadliest attack in The Troubles inside Northern Ireland.
The bombing caused a major outcry throughout the world, and the Irish and British governments introduced new legislation in an attempt to destroy the organisation. The RIRA also came under pressure from the Provisional IRA, when Provisional IRA members visited the homes of 60 people connected with the RIRA and ordered them to disband and stop interfering with Provisional IRA arms dumps. With the organisation under intense pressure, the RIRA called a ceasefire on 8 September.
Return to Activity
The RIRA used the ceasefire to regroup and procure more arms for their campaign. Meanwhile the CIRA continued its attacks and carried out a number of attacks. However there was a lul in dissident activity after the outcry from the Omagh bombing.
The RIRA returned to its campaign in January of the year 2000, declaring in a statement sent to the Irish News "Once again, Óglaigh na hÉireann declares the right of the Irish people to the ownership of Ireland. We call on all volunteers loyal to the Irish Republic to unite to uphold the Republic and establish a permanent national parliament representative of all the people". The next month it attempted to bomb an army barracks, however the bombers were disturbed before the device was assembled. As well as attacking the security forces the dissidents have taken over the traditional republican responsibility of punishing criminals on their 'territory' through punishment attacks, these can range from a warning, to a punishment beating, to shooting the victim (kneecapping), and in some cases, killing them, or forcing them to leave the country.
The RIRA have also been responsible for a number of bomb attacks in England, most notably the 4 March 2001 BBC bombing and the 3 August 2001 Ealing bombing, as well as launching an RPG-22 rocket at MI6 headquarters in London in 2000.
Since that time, tensions have resulted in a number of splinter groups from both organsiations. These have included both , which is now inactive and ceased all operations in 2009, and also Saoirse na hÉireann (which also split form the CIRA). And another group, has grown to become the most active and dangerous group in Northern Ireland.
The first fatalites suffered by the security forces since the end of The Troubles occurred in the 2009 Massereene Barracks shooting, when the Real IRA shot dead 2 British soldiers, and injured 4 others, including 2 soldiers and 2 civilians. Within a week a Continuity IRA sniper shot dead a PSNI officer responding to a distress call. In January 2010, the Real IRA killed convicted Drug Dealer Gerard Staunton in Cork City, and warned that it would kill others involved in the drugs trade. Earlier in January 2010, Óglaigh na hÉireann carried out a booby trap bomb attack on a PSNI officer, leaving him seriously injured and his leg having to be amputated. In April, 2011, another PSNI officer was killed, this time by a booby trap bomb that was attached to his car. An organisation claiming to be the Provisional IRA claimed responsibility, although it has not been confirmed.
On 20th of June, 2011, the UVF invaded the nationalist area of the Short Strand and began attacking nationalist homes, the men were dressed in balaclavas and full camouflage gear. Republicans (Allegedly the Provisional IRA) opened fire, shooting 2 loyalists in the legs. Riots continued for hours, and a nationalist resident of the short strand was seriously injured when a breezeblock was dropped on his head by loyalists. A second night of rioting followed, with a press photographer being shot in the leg by Republicans. See 2011 Belfast riots

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