Basque group ETA disbands after 50 years

Madrid May 2 (IANS) Basque separatist group ETA on Wednesday formally announced its decision to put an end to its activities and a "complete dissolution of all its structures" in a letter sent to various Basque institutions and civil society groups.

In a written statement by the ETA accessed by Efe news the group said it was "terminating its historical cycle and its function thereby ending its existence".

Eta deemed a terrorist organisation by the EU killed more than 800 people between 1968 and 2010 the year before it announced a permanent ceasefire. In April 2017 it staged a disarmament ceremony in the south of France.

Earlier in April the group had apologized to the victims of its decades-long conflict for independence.

The group asked for "forgiveness" for killing people without "a direct participation in the conflict". Spain s government said ETA was defeated politically and operationally and did not achieve any of its goals.

--IANS
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