John Hume, Nobel Peace Prize winner and Irish leader, dies at 83 after prolonged illness

Prominent Northern Ireland politician and Nobel laureate John Hume died on August 3 at the age of 83 in a Londonderry nursing home after a prolonged illness. Hume, a founding member of the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP), played a major role in peace talks that led to the landmark Good Friday Agreement in 1998.

The Catholic nationalist community wanted to unify with Ireland while protestant unionists wanted to remain part of Britain, leading to three decades of bloody conflict that claimed over 3,600 lives. The ex-SDLP leader led the peace talks, helping end the decades-long conflict, and was awarded Nobel Peace Prize in 1998.

Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin said that it is impossible to properly express the scale and significance of John Hume’s life. Calling him a “towering figure” in Irish public life, Martin said that Hume’s vision and tenacity saved the country. Hume was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his “efforts to find a peaceful solution to the conflict in Northern Ireland."

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Funeral with limited attendees

Hume’s family released a statement on August 3, saying they are “deeply saddened to announce” the passing away of Irish leader in the early hours of the morning. The family said that the funeral will be arranged as per the government regulations and limiting the number of attendees, owing to the coronavirus pandemic.

"We realise this will mean that many will be unable to join us, and we will arrange a memorial service and a celebration of his life in due course," they said.

Hume joined the Northern Irish civil rights movement in the late 1960s became convinced that nationalism was a declining force in the new Europe. According to the Nobel Foundation, Hume thought that better relations would have to be established between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland with a reasonable division of power.

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(Image: AP)