Since its foundation in 1974, the Irish National Liberation Army (INLA) has been the source of much tension in the United Kingdom. Their goal: to separate Northern Ireland from the United Kingdom and create a united Ireland. Their means: terrorism. On Feb. 8, however, leaders of the INLA officially announced their decision to decommission their weapons and pursue their political goals by strictly peaceful means.

“The armed struggle is over,” their statement announced, according to The Guardian.

During the past three decades, the INLA has been responsible for numerous bombings and over 120 deaths. Their decision to cooperate with the Independent International Commission on Decommissioning was an abrupt, but welcome shift in approach.

“The recent announcement that the INLA was to disband and engage with General de Chastelain’s decommissioning body was unexpected but reflected their analysis that the war was over,” wrote one analyst for the Irish Left Review. “This should be seen for what it is: further evidence of the historic decline of militant republicanism.”

Assistant Professor of History Philip Slaby agreed, pointing out that the INLA was among the last radical groups to throw down their weapons.

“Most of the other militant Catholic groups have already decommissioned,” Slaby said. “(The INLA) were really behind the wave with the type of guerilla violence they’ve continued to employ.”

In a press conference, INLA spokesman Martin McMonagle shed some light on their decision to disarm.

“We believe conditions have now changed in such a way that other options are open to revolutionaries to pursue and ultimately achieve our objectives,” he said, according to the BBC.

McMonagle, himself had been an active member of the INLA and had been arrested in England in 1993 for participating in a bombing initiative.

“We make no apology for our part in the conflict,” he announced at the open of the press conference. Nevertheless, he confirmed that the INLA would be disposing of their weapons and weapons caches. “We hope that this will further enhance the primacy of politics and that it will in time unite and advance the working class struggle in Ireland.”

Prominent leaders in the region have been quick to commend the INLA for its unexpected cooperation in disarmament.

“The significance of decommissioning goes well beyond the removal of arms, as important as that is,” said Northern Ireland Secretary of State Shaun Woodward to The Independent. “It is a physical manifestation of triumph of politics over violence.”

As the INLA turns over a new leaf, hopes are that Ireland will finally enter into a time of relative peace.

According to the BBC, Irish Justice Minister Dermot Ahern saw the INLA’s cooperation as a major step towards resolving the drawn-out conflicts that have plagued Northern Ireland for decades.

“These events are further positive developments as we look to finally close the last chapter of the conflict and ensure a peaceful future for all the people of Northern Ireland,” he said.