Why did the IRA cease-fire break down in 1996?

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Everyday life during the Troubles — the Troubles Local people walking past a British soldier on guard in Northern Ireland, August 1969.

The IRA cease-fire, which began in August 1994, broke down in February 1996 primarily due to the exclusion of Sinn Féin from multiparty peace talks.12

Although the IRA had declared a complete cessation of military activities, unionist parties demanded the decommissioning (disarmament) of the IRA’s arsenal as a prerequisite for Sinn Féin’s participation in the negotiations. Because this condition was not met, Sinn Féin remained excluded from the talks, leading the IRA to resume its armed campaign with a bombing in the Docklands area of London in February 1996. The cease-fire was eventually reinstated in July 1997, allowing Sinn Féin to join the talks that led to the Good Friday Agreement.12