The Northern Secretary has welcomed the announcement that the Loyalist paramilitary feud involving the Ulster Defence Association, Ulster Volunteer Force and the Red Hand Commando has ended. Peter Mandelson said that those who had brought about the cessation of the feud had "done a great service to their community and to the people of Northern Ireland". In a joint statement, the groups said that they fully recognised the pain and suffering that had been inflicted on their community. They said that they resolved that under no circumstances would such events be repeated.
The feud involving the main Loyalist paramilitary groups erupted last August and a series of tit-for-tat shooting incidents over the following three months left seven dead, and a number of others injured. There were also bomb attacks on the offices of the rival Loyalist political parties, and more than 200 families were intimidated out of their homes.
There has been a cessation of hostilities in recent weeks during which time secret discussions aimed at ending the feud have been taking place. This afternoon the leaders of the UDA, UVF and RED Hand Commandos met in Belfast to finalise a peace settlement and announced afterwards that the feud had ended.
The statement said that in order to facilitate this conflict transformation process each organisation was committed to an open ended and all encompassing cease fire. In addition, a series of mechanisms have been created by the leaderships of the various groups, to ensure that any future disputes which arise are resolved in a peaceful manner. The statement also revealed that the agreement did not include the dissident Loyalist groups such as the LVF.
