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Template:IrishR The Continuity Irish Republican Army (CIRA) is an Irish Republican paramilitary organisation (which supporters regard as the National Army of the 32-County Irish Republic) that split from the Provisional IRA in 1986.

Origins

The CIRA has its origins in a split in the Provisional IRA. In September/October 1986, the Provisional IRA held a meeting of General Army Convention (GAC), the organisation’s supreme decision-making body. It was the first GAC in sixteen years. The meeting, which was held in secret, was convened to discuss the articles of the Provisional IRA constitution which dealt with abstentionism, its opposition to the taking of seats in Dáil Éireann. The GAC passed motions (by the necessary two-thirds majority) allowing members of the Provisional IRA to discuss and debate the taking of parliamentary seats, and the removal of the ban on members of the organisation from supporting any successful republican candidate who took their seat in Dáil Éireann.

These changes within the military wing of the Republican Movement were followed by the political wing and at the subsequent Sinn Féin Ard Fheis (party conference), the party's policy of abstentionism, which forbade Sinn Féin elected representatives from taking seats in the Oireachtas, the parliament of the Republic of Ireland, was dropped.

Mirroring the political split that led to the formation of Republican Sinn Féin, a split occurred in the Provisional IRA. The majority of the IRA Army Executive opposed the change on the basis that it ran contrary to the IRA and Sinn Féin constitutions and were thus illegitimate. Some of these opponents later reconstituted themselves as the Continuity Executive, which in turn appointed an Army Council of the Continuity Irish Republican Army.

Similar to the claim put forward by the Provisional IRA after its split from the Official IRA in 1969, the Continuity IRA claims to be the legitimate continuation of the 'Irish Republican Army' or Óglaigh na hÉireann. This argument is based on the view that the surviving anti-Treaty members of the Second Dáil delegated their "authority" to the IRA Army Council in 1938. As further justification for this claim, which is rejected not only by most Irish Republicans but by the vast majority of the Irish people, is that Tom Maguire, one of those anti-Treaty members of the Second Dáil, issued a statement in favour of the Continuity IRA as he had done in 1969 in favour of the Provisionals (see Irish republican legitimatism).

Leadership

The leadership of the Continuity IRA is believed to be based in the Munster and Ulster areas. It is alleged that its chief of staff is a Limerick man and that a number of other key members are from that county. He is believed to have been in this position since the death of Dáithí Ó Conaill, the first chief of staff, in 1991.

Strength

In 2004 the United States (US) government believed the Continuity IRA consisting of fewer than fifty hardcore activists. In 2005, Irish Minister for Justice, Equality & Law Reform Michael McDowell told Dáil Éireann that the organisation had a maximum of 150 members.

Legal status

The CIRA is an illegal organisation under UK (section 11(1) of the Terrorism Act 2000) and Irish law due to the use of 'IRA' in the group's name in a situation analogous to that of the Real Irish Republican Army (RIRA).

On 13 July 2004, the US government designated the CIRA as a 'Foreign Terrorist Organization' (FTO). This made it illegal for Americans to provide material support to the CIRA, requires US financial institutions to block the group's assets and denies alleged CIRA members visas into the US.

External aid and arsenal

The US government suspects the Continuity IRA of having received funds and arms from supporters in the United States. Security sources in the Republic of Ireland have expressed the suspicion that, in cooperation with the RIRA, the Continuity IRA may have acquired arms and material from the Balkans. They also suspect that the Continuity IRA arsenal contains some weapons that were taken from Provisional IRA arms dumps, including a few dozen rifles, machine guns, and pistols; a small amount of the explosive Semtex; and a few dozen detonators.

Activities

Initially, the Continuity IRA did not reveal its existence, either in the form of press statements or paramilitary activity. Although the Garda Síochána had suspicions that the organisation existed, they were unsure of its name, labelling it the "Irish National Republican Army".

It was only after the Provisional IRA ceasefire of 1994 that the Continuity IRA became active, announcing its intention to continue the campaign against British rule before the formation of the "Real IRA". The CIRA continues to oppose the Stormont Agreement and, unlike the Provisional IRA (and the Real IRA in 1998), as of 2006 the CIRA has not announced a ceasefire or agreed to participate in weapons decommissioning - nor is there any evidence that it will.

Internal tension

In 2005, several members of the Continuity IRA, who were serving prison sentences in Portlaoise Prison for paramilitary activity, left the organisation. Some transferred to the Irish National Liberation Army landing of the prison, but the majority of those who left are now independent and on E4 landing. The remaining Continuity IRA prisoners have moved to E3 landing, which houses Real IRA prisoners. Supporters of the Continuity IRA leadership claim that this resulted from an internal disagreement, which although brought to a conclusion, was followed by some people leaving the organisation anyway. Supporters of the disaffected members established the Concerned Group for Republican Prisoners in their support.

In February 2006, the Independent Monitoring Commission claimed in a report on paramilitary activity that two groups, styling themselves as the Saoirse na hÉireann and Óglaigh na hÉireann, had been formed after a split in the Continuity IRA.

Attacks and incidents

The Continuity IRA has been involved in a number of bombing and shooting incidents (none of which have caused fatalities), as well as extortion and robbery. Targets of the CIRA have included British military and police service (Royal Ulster Constabulary, etc.), as well as Loyalist paramilitaries. As of 2005, the CIRA is believed to have an established presence or capability of launching attacks on the island of Britain. A bomb defused in Dublin in December 2005 was believed to have been the work of the CIRA. In February 2006, the Independent Monitoring Commission blamed the CIRA for planting four bombs in Northern Ireland during the final quarter of 2005, as well as several hoax bomb warnings.

References

1. Cáin Chronology of the Conflict - 1986
2. "CIRA bomb adds to growing crisis in the peace process", Irish Examiner, 7 February 2000
3. Continuity Irish Republican Army (CIRA)
4. Dáil Debates
5. WEDNESDAY LAW REPORT: Membership of Real IRA was a terrorism offence-From the Guardian Newspaper
6. Home Office list of proscribed terrorist organisations
7. US Department of State, Office of Counterterrorism Fact sheet 2005
8. CIRA added to US terror list
9. Decommissioning - how big a task?
10. The Continuity IRA
11. Eighth Report of the Independent Monitoring Commission, 1 February 2006
12. Irish terror groups 'to hit London'

• Continuity Irish Republican Army
• Continuity Irish Republican Movement
• Proscribed paramilitary organizations in Northern Ireland
• U.S. State Department designated terrorist organizations