"The Continuity IRA (CIRA) has split up over the organisation’s refusal to appoint a new leadership and to step up attacks against the security forces in Northern Ireland.
The security services believe recent bomb attacks and the murder of a police officer in Armagh last March, for which the republican group claimed responsibility, were not sanctioned by its leadership. The attacks were carried out by factions of the CIRA in Fermanagh, Armagh and Monaghan operating independently.
The hardliners believe the CIRA army council, which is dominated by members of Republican Sinn Fein (RSF), no longer consider that the use of violence is justified, but will not admit this.
The CIRA’s refusal to hold a “general army convention” to elect a new leadership has also provoked divisions. The terrorist group has refused requests to organise an army convention on three separate occasions in the past two years, citing security reasons.
The CIRA army council is appointed by the army executive, veteran republicans who are mainly drawn from the ranks of RSF. Its executive has the power to appoint new army council members. The executive is in turn elected at a general army convention, or special delegate conference.
Another gripe which prompted the split is the refusal of Saoirse, the RSF newspaper, to publish details of attacks carried out by the CIRA, the military wing of RSF.
The security services believe the split is a significant development. Gardai and MI5, the British security service, believe that the breakaway factions may eventually amalgamate or join the Real IRA (RIRA) to create a new organisation, but it will take at least two years for this to happen.
Ruairí Ó Brádaigh, a former IRA chief of staff and president of RSF, is preparing to retire in November. His withdrawal is likely to provoke a change in RSF policy and direction, according to both republican and security sources.
“RSF will either become more militant or adopt a more neutral stance towards the use of violence in Northern Ireland. There are certainly people in RSF who believe that having a military wing is a hindrance and is preventing the party from making political gains,” said one intelligence analyst.
Des Long, the party’s vice president and Ó Brádaigh’s likely successor, said that he was “unaware” of a split, but admitted he was conscious of dissent within the paramilitary group.
“There may be some (CIRA) people who believe that enough is not being done, but fragmenting won’t achieve anything. If there are differences, they should sit down and sort them out,” said Long.
He said he personally continued to support the use of violence against the security forces in Northern Ireland.
“This is also the position of Republican Sinn Fein. I would never condemn anyone who takes up arms against the occupation of our country, but it has to be controlled and disciplined,” he said.
Long added that the decision by Saoirse not to publish articles on the CIRA was made by the newspaper’s editorial board, but he noted that RSF had not condemned any attacks claimed by the paramilitary group.
The security services believe the breakaway factions have been responsible for several attacks, including the murder of Stephen Carroll, a PSNI officer who was shot dead in March in Craigavon.
The intelligence assessment is based on analysis of information gleaned from listening devices and informants.
Carroll was the first member of the PSNI killed by the CIRA, which was also involved in the Omagh bombing that killed 29 people and unborn twin girls in August 1998."
Cet article est tiré du Times (online) et date de début octobre 2009. Je suis surpris dans la mesure où, alors que je suis très actif au niveau de recherches sur la situation dans le Nord, c'est la première fois que j'entends parlé de cela. Le Times n'est pas un torchon, je le considère être un "bon" journal d'investigation. J'ai donc tendance a prendre au sérieux ce qui y est écrit.
Quelqu'un (bon j'avoue quand je dis ça, je pense à Liam
) a-t-il plus d'informations? Peut-il affirmer ce que dit le "Times"?
A mon sens, cela expliquerait beaucoup de chose. Notamment le fait que les activités de l'IRA-CAC se soient concentrées dans deux régions : Nord-Armagh et Fermanagh (plus les différentes "émeutes" et fausses alertes à la bombe à Belfast au mois de mars et qui ont été conduites avec OnaE)
En tout cas, si c'était le cas, la possible unification (dont on n'avait déjà parlé ailleurs) pourrait se produire entre la "Real IRA" et la faction "armée" de la "CIRA". Dans cette nouvelle perspective et vu le possible abandon du leadership de "CIRA" et du RSF de la lutte armée, les divergences "constitutionnelles" pourraient être mises entre parenthèses pour former un mouvement plus "apolitique" concentré, sur le court terme, à la destruction du Stormont.
Accueil 