The Troubles
The Troubles (Irish: Na Trioblóidí) was a guerrilla/nationalist[12][13][14][15] conflict in Northern Ireland during the late 20th century.
| The Troubles | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Political map of Ireland | ||||||||
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| Belligerents | ||||||||
State security forces
| Irish republican paramilitaries
| Ulster loyalist paramilitaries
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| Casualties and losses | ||||||||
British Army: 705 Irish Army: 1 Gardaí: 9 IPS: 1 Total: 11[7] | PIRA: 292 INLA: 38 OIRA: 27 IPLO: 9 RIRA: 2 Total: 368[7] | UDA: 91 UVF: 62 RHC: 4 LVF: 3 UR: 2[8] Total: 162[7] | ||||||
| Civilians killed: 1,840[9] (or 1,935 inc. ex-combatants)[7] | ||||||||
It is also known as the Northern Ireland conflict,[16][17][18][19][20] it is sometimes described as an "irregular war"[21][22][23] or "low-level war".[24][25][26]
The conflict began in the late 1960s and many said it ended with the Good Friday Agreement of 1998.[2][3][27][28][29] Although the Troubles primarily took place in Northern Ireland, at times the violence spilled over into parts of the Republic of Ireland, England, and mainland Europe.
A key issue was the state of Northern Ireland. Unionists/loyalists (most of whom were Protestants) wanted Northern Ireland to remain within the United Kingdom. Irish nationalists/republicans (most of whom were Catholics) wanted Northern Ireland to leave the United Kingdom and join a United Ireland.[30]
More than 3,500 people were killed in the conflict. Of those: 52% were civilians, 32% were members of the British security forces, and 16% were members of paramilitary groups.[31]
