A feud between loyalist paramilitaries which left three men dead has ended. The leaders of the UDA and the Loyalist Volunteer Force last night said a truce had been agreed following negotiations.
The violence began with the murder of leading LVF member and drug dealer Mr Stephen Warnock in Newtownards, Co Down, in September.
That led to a gun attack in which senior east Belfast UDA member Mr Jim Gray was wounded.
The second victim was Mr Geoffrey Thomas Gray who, according to loyalist sources, was a UDA member but had friends in the LVF. A third man, Mr Alexander McKinley, died a week later after being shot in east Belfast.
The leaders of the UDA and the LVF yesterday said a truce had been agreed following a series of meetings. In a joint statement, they said the LVF now accepted that the east Belfast UDA had played no part in Mr Warnock's murder.
"It has now become obvious that erroneous/false information was being furnished to both organisations which resulted in this unfortunate conflict.
"Both organisations have therefore now resolved any differences which may have existed and have initiated a policy whereby intermediaries have been sent to prevent any further recurrence of this sort of conflict," the statement said.
At the height of the feud, the Police Service of Northern Ireland set up a 25-strong special unit in an attempt to stop the violence. Police had been worried that the feud would spread from Belfast to other areas of the North.
Sinn Féin Assembly member Mr Gerry Kelly warned nationalists to be vigilant following the ending of the feud.
"Time and time again differences between the disparate groups within loyalism are overcome by directing an increased number of attacks against nationalists and Catholics," he said.
"I am therefore urging all nationalists to be extremely vigilant in the coming days and weeks."
