Basque separatist group ETA announces dissolution in letter

The letter to a Spanish news website , dated April 16, marked what is expected to be the last of several key steps towards the full break-up of ETA

Basque separatist group ETA announced it was fully disbanding, the final step to the definitive end of its deadly decades-long independence campaign, in a letter published today by a Spanish news site.

Masked members of the Basque separatist group ETA are seen in this file image made from a video provided on October 20, 2011. The militant group reportedly announced it has 'dissolved all its structures' in letter to Spanish newspaper on May 2, 2018. (AP File Photo)

“ETA has decided to declare its historical cycle and functions terminated, putting an end to its journey,” the group said in a letter published by Spanish online newspaper El Diario.

“ETA has completely dissolved all of its structures and declared an end to its political initiative.”

The letter, dated April 16, marked what is expected to be the last of several key steps towards the full break-up of the group.

ETA waged a nearly four-decade campaign of bombings and shootings for an independent Basque state in northern Spain and southern France.

Created in 1959 at the height of Francisco Franco’s dictatorship, it is blamed for the deaths of at least 829 people.

Weakened in recent years by the arrests of its senior leaders, it announced a permanent ceasefire in 2011 and began formally surrendering its arms last year.

On April 20 it asked forgiveness from its victims for the first time for the “pain” caused by its decades-long campaign of violence.