Tributes Paid After Death Of N. Irish Nobel Winner John Hume

London, Aug 3 (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 3rd Aug, 2020 ) :Tributes poured in Monday from across the political spectrum following the death of John Hume, who won the Nobel Peace prize for his role in ending decades of deadly sectarian violence in Northern Ireland.

The former leader of the mainly Catholic Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) helped forge the 1998 Good Friday peace agreement in the British province after a conflict that left 3,500 people dead.

The 83-year-old Hume, who had suffered with dementia in his later years, died on Monday after a short illness, his family said.

A consistently moderate voice during the so-called Troubles, he shared the Nobel in 1998 with David Trimble of the Ulster Unionist Party for their cross-community efforts that culminated in the landmark peace deal between Belfast, Dublin and London.

The agreement shepherded in a new era for Northern Ireland after three decades of bloody strife between the largely Catholic nationalist community, who want to reunify with Ireland, and Protestant unionists who want to remain part of the United Kingdom.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson hailed a "political giant", while Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin said: "He was one of the towering figures of Irish public life of the last century.

"His vision and tenacity saved this country."