The Good Friday Agreement was signed in Northern Ireland on April 10, 1998, to put an end to the Troubles, a 30-year period of conflict in Northern Ireland that claimed the lives of 3,500 men, women and children.
In 1921, after centuries of war between the British and the Irish, the government in London proposed to the Irish republicans that Ireland be divided into 2 distinct regions. The first part (the South) then reverted to the Irish, and became an autonomous republic, freed from British tutelage. The second half, the North, made up of 6 counties, went to the English, however, creating indignation and outrage throughout the country.
From then on, Northern Ireland became a stronghold of British occupation. Over the years, and after a bloody civil war, Northern Ireland still hasn’t managed to free itself from the presence of English armor and barbed wire, and will never come to terms with this situation. Many Northern Irishmen were ready to take up the fight, and joined the IRA to combat the British presence in Northern Ireland and the anti-Catholic discrimination rife in the 6 occupied counties.
In 1969, new tensions were palpable in Northern Ireland: Irish Catholics suffered relentless social discrimination, and a real social divide developed between the 2 camps. Very quickly, the Irish set up various means of struggle, ranging from simple peaceful demonstrations to terrorist actions ordered by the IRA. From then on, the British government launched a vast campaign of summary arrests without trial of Irish people suspected of acting on behalf of the IRA. All were confined to Long Kesh prison, where they were tortured and locked up for many years.
There were many attacks and blunders. Both the Irish and British sides sank into a 30-year period of violence and murder known as the Troubles. Among the darkest events of this period were the Bloody Sunday disaster of 1972, and the Omagh Attack of 1998… And let’s not forget the hunger strikers like Bobby Sands, who protested against British occupation by starving themselves to death.
From 1969 to 1998, the toll was horrendously high. There are :
Faced with such figures, Northern Ireland’s main political forces were forced to negotiate a peace agreement to end the Troubles. The Good Friday Agreement was signed on April 10, 1998, and led to greater agreement on the principles governing the administrative and social functioning of Northern Ireland. The main aim of the treaty is to give Northern Ireland the ability to govern itself without having to go through the government in London. The main points negotiated included :
The signatories of this treaty were :
3.37/5 (19 votes)
