CLAIMS BY a faction in the Continuity IRA that it had taken over the leadership have been contested by the organisation.
A statement released to this newspaper yesterday and supported by a recognised codeword denied a series of statements made by a Northern-based faction.
These included the claim that it had displaced the established and mostly southern leadership of the dissident group, initially formed in 1986.
Last month, representatives of the Continuity IRA faction spoke to The Irish Timesand claimed the vast majority of its "volunteers" rejected what they described as the "old guard" who were "tired, weary, old men refusing to hand over the reins".
However, this was rejected yesterday by a statement signed “B Ruairc” which said: “Talk of a takeover, and of 95 per cent of personnel joining the splinter group is totally ridiculous. Other expressions such as North versus South and old versus young are rank Provo-speak.”
It continued: “The splinter group people should go their own way and cease using the name of the republican movement.
“They should quit calling at the homes of faithful republicans late at night.”
The statement also denied an allegation that a substantial sum of money had been misappropriated by one republican in Belfast.