Prison officers with some police support regained control of the dissident wing of Maghaberry prison on Monday night following a protest at the Co Antrim prison.
A number of dissident republican prisoners housed in Roe House which is located on the prison estate staged a protest yesterday leading to what one source described as a “standoff” between prison staff and a number of prisoners.
Some 40 dissidents are serving prison sentences or are on remand awaiting trial at Maghaberry Prison. For several months there have been serious tensions at the prison with concerns that these could boil over into more serious problems.
Security sources said the situation at Roe House has become exacerbated following the arrival in the wing of senior dissidents such as Colin Duffy from Lurgan, Co Armagh who has been on remand for more than a year charged with conspiracy to murder and IRA membership.
The Northern Ireland Prison Service director general Sue McAllister said last night that the protest ended "with no injuries to staff or prisoners". "Managing prisoners in a high security facility is challenging. We are clear that we wish to move to a normalised regime within a secure environment," she added.
Ms McAllister said a report published at the end of last year remained the best way to make progress in Roe House. “The Prison Service remains committed to the implementation of the recommendations within the Stocktake report. However this can only happen in an environment where the agreement is honoured and our staff are free from threats and intimidation,” she added.
A protest outside the prison of about 200 people also ended on Monday night.
