Dissident Irish republican campaign

For a timeline of the campaign, see Timeline of Real Irish Republican Army actions, Timeline of Continuity IRA actions, and Óglaigh na hÉireann (Real IRA splinter group).

Dissident Irish Republican Campaign

Map of Ireland
Date1996 – present
Location
Northern Ireland, with occasional violence in the Republic of Ireland and England
Status Ongoing
Belligerents

 United Kingdom

 Republic of Ireland

Dissident republican paramilitaries

Strength
PSNI: 6,985 officers[3]
RUC: 13,000 constables (until 2001)		 Unknown, small
250–300 Real IRA members (2012 estimate)

The dissident Irish republican campaign began at the end of the Troubles, a 30-year political conflict in Northern Ireland. Since the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA or PIRA) called a ceasefire and ended its campaign in 1997, breakaway groups opposed to the ceasefire and to the peace agreements ("dissident Irish republicans") have continued a low-level[4][5] armed campaign against the security forces in Northern Ireland. The main paramilitaries involved are the Real IRA, Continuity IRA and formerly Óglaigh na hÉireann. They have targeted the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI)[N 4] and the British Army in gun and bomb attacks as well as with mortars and rockets. They have also carried out bombings that are meant to cause disruption. However, their campaign has not been as intensive as the Provisional IRA's, and political support for groups such as the Real IRA is "tending towards zero".[4]

In 2007, the government declared the end of Operation Banner, ending the four-decade long deployment of the British Army in Northern Ireland. As a result, the PSNI has since been the main target of attacks.

To date, two British soldiers, two PSNI officers and two Prison Service guards have been killed as part of the republican campaign. At least 50 civilians (and former combatants) have also been killed by republican paramilitaries,[citation needed] 29 of whom died in the Omagh bombing carried out by the Real IRA.


Cite error: There are <ref group=N> tags on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=N}} template (see the help page).

  1. ^ Allan Preston (7 February 2017). "Outrage as Northern Ireland bomb disposal heroes denied bravery medal". Belfasttelegraph. Archived from the original on 14 June 2018. Retrieved 4 February 2019.
  2. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 15 June 2018. Retrieved 14 June 2018.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  3. ^ "Strength of Police Service Statistics". Archived from the original on 27 February 2018. Retrieved 26 February 2018.
  4. ^ a b McKittrick, David (19 August 2009). "The Big Question: How active is the Real IRA, and what can the security forces do about it?". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 15 February 2015. Retrieved 15 February 2015.
  5. ^ "Long says report shows backing for Alliance's shared future ideas". Alliance Party of Northern Ireland. 3 April 2014. Archived from the original on 15 February 2015. Retrieved 15 February 2015.