Appointment of paramilitary ‘interlocutor’ slammed by Long

The appointment of an “interlocutor” to examine whether a formal process of engagement with paramilitary groups in Northern Ireland is required to bring about their disbandment risks undermining work done to tackle organised crime, Stormont Justice Minister Naomi Long has said.

Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn has announced that Fleur Ravensbergen will take up the role of Independent Expert on paramilitary group transition to disbandment.

Ms Ravensbergen is a conflict resolution and negotiation practitioner and a lecturer in conflict resolution and governance at the University of Amsterdam.

The appointment has been made jointly with Jim O’Callaghan, the Irish Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration.

Making the announcement, Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn said it was right that the governments “test whether there is more that can be done to end paramilitarism”.

The two governments committed to making the appointment earlier this year following a recommendation from the Independent Reporting Commission (IRC) that a “twin track” process of law enforcement and tackling the roots of paramilitarism is needed.

Mr Benn said: “The Government is committed to working with partners in Northern Ireland to support efforts against the enduring threats and harms posed to communities by paramilitary groups.

“There is no justification for paramilitary groups and they should have left the stage long ago.

“But they haven’t. It’s therefore right that we test whether there is more that can be done to end paramilitarism.”

He added: “This appointment follows the commitment made by the UK Government and the Government of Ireland to commission a short scoping and engagement exercise to assess whether there is merit in, and support for, a formal process of engagement to bring about paramilitary group transition to disbandment.”

But Alliance Party leader Ms Long said paramilitary groups should already have disbanded.

She said: “Governments engaging directly with illegal organisations risks providing a veneer of legitimacy to paramilitary groups and criminal gangs, which persist based on a combination of threats, intimidation, and organised crime.

“The appointment of an interlocutor risks undermining the good work which is already being done to end paramilitarism and organised crime.

“The idea that paramilitary groups can transition into law-abiding entities has long since moved beyond the point of credibility.

“They cannot continue to be treated as if they are genuinely committed to reform – that moment passed long ago.”

She added: “Whilst we all want to see paramilitarism ended and those currently engaged in it to desist, I cannot understand what the impediment is to them doing so now, if they are genuinely keen to do so.

“There can be no negotiation or sweeteners involved, so it is difficult to see what purpose an interlocutor will serve, but easy to see how it could give these groups a credibility which they don’t deserve.”

Ms Ravensbergen will take up the role within the existing IRC and is expected to complete the scoping and engagement exercise and submit a report by August 2026.

The appointment will be for a period of one year.