The defectors' names were unknown, but British security sources said they had held senior positions in the Republican Army council Quartermaster General and an ex-chief of staff. There were fears that this could have led to some of the organizations armory being leaked to the aptly-named Continuity IRA, which does not consider itself bound by the cease-fire.
What's their beef? The breaking point, it appears, came when Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams signed up to Senator George Mitchell's list of principles at the Ulster talks in other words, when he committed himself to resolving differences by peaceful means. To some Republicans wrapped up in the Troubles, that was tantamount to surrender. And thus the Irish question continues, as it has done for centuries, to defy solution.