Northern Irish leader David Trimble dies

David Trimble, one of the chief architects of Northern Ireland's 1998 Good Friday Agreement, has died aged 77.

He won a Nobel Prize for his efforts and became Northern Irish first minister following the peace deal. 

"It is with great sadness that the family of Lord Trimble announce that he passed away peacefully earlier today following a short illness," his Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) said in a statement. 

Nobel Prize for role in Good Friday Agreement

The Good Friday Agreement helped bring peace to the region following 30 years of ethno-nationalist violence that killed almost 3,600 people. 

Trimble and Irish nationalist John Hume jointly received the Nobel Prize in 1998.

They were recognized for their roles in helping end the violence between Catholic nationalists seeking Irish unity and pro-British Protestants wishing to stay in the United Kingdom. The peace agreement brought an end to decades of violence known as the "Troubles."

Legacy remembered

Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin remembered the "crucial and courageous role" Trimble played in the peace negotiations, while British Prime Minister Boris Johnson called him a "giant of British and international politics", 

"Time after time during the negotiations he made the hard choices over the politically expedient ones because he believed future generations deserved to grow up free from violence and hatred," former US President Bill Clinton said in a statement.

Ex-Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams said Trimble's contribution to almost 25 years of relative peace "cannot be underestimated."

"David faced huge challenges when he led the Ulster Unionist Party in the Good Friday Agreement negotiations and persuaded his party to sign on for it. It is to his credit that he supported that Agreement. I thank him for that," Adams, a former political foe of Trimble, said in a statement.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson described Trimble as a "giant of British and international politics."

Tensions in Northern Ireland

Trimble's death comes at a time of renewed tensions in Northern Ireland. 

The Irish nationalist party, Sinn Fein, swept to a historic victory in assembly elections in May. 

However, the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) has refused to help form a government until a protocol, which governs trade in Northern Ireland in the wake of the UK leaving the EU, is removed. They are fully behind any move by the UK government which would override the protocol. 

ss/jsi (Reuters, AFP, AP)