The Troubles: Was it War?

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The Troubles: Was it War?

January 11, 2008

By Barry McCaffrey

THE British government may be asked to publicly acknowledge that it was engaged in a war against the IRA during the Troubles.

For more than 35 years British governments have refused to accept that they were engaged in a war against the IRA.

Instead, successive British prime ministers insisted that the conflict was merely a break down in law and order and that the IRA was simply a gang of criminals.

The propaganda battle came to a head inside the north’s prisons in 1976 with the British government withdrawal prisoner of war status from the IRA and Loyalist paramilitary groups interned in Long Kesh.

Republicans led by Bobby Sands refused to accept being criminalized and began a five-year protest which ended with the death on 10 men on hunger strike in 1981.

However, it is understood Unionists will be bitterly opposed to any attempt to allow the British to legitimize the IRA’s 35-year campaign to destroy the Northern Ireland state.

The calls for the British government to finally accept that it was engaged in a war against Republicans are expected to come from a group of church men and community leaders which was set up last year to look at ways in which Northern Ireland can potentially move on from the Troubles.

The group, which is due to publish a report this summer, is understood to be considering asking the British government to publicly accept that it was engaged in a war with Republicans.

Sources claim that any government acceptance of war status would then allow it to grant official amnesties to former paramilitaries who may be willing to provide details of their activities as part of a truth recovery process.

The idea is similar to amnesties granted to former African National Congress and security force members who took part in the South African truth process in the mid-1990s.

If the British government does accept that a “war” took, place it is speculated that the IRA and Loyalist paramilitary organizations would in turn agree to apologize for their role in violence carried out during the Troubles.

It is also speculated that paramilitary groups could sign up to an agreement that they would never again engage in violence for political ends.

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