From the late 60s to the late 90s of the last century, Northern Ireland was the scene of an armed conflict between extremist groups of two communities living on its territory.
Catholic nationalists wanted to break the alliance with Great Britain and join an independent Ireland. Protestant Loyalists (Unionists) advocated that Northern Ireland should remain part of the United Kingdom.
In 1998, the political parties of the two communities signed the Belfast Agreement (Good Friday Agreement) on the peaceful settlement of the conflict. A government was formed in Northern Ireland, including representatives of Protestant and Catholic parties. The number of people killed during the conflict, known in Great Britain and Ireland as The Troubles, exceeds 3.5 thousand. The number of victims is estimated at almost 50 thousand.
In 2012, it became known that former members of the Irish Republican Army, who did not recognize the Belfast Agreement, formed the organization “New Irish Republican Army”. Its militants have previously attacked police officers in Northern Ireland, and in 2019 they organized the murder of journalist Lyra McKee.
