The Troubles refers to the violent thirty-year conflict in Northern Ireland between nationalist Catholics who wanted to join the Republic of Ireland and unionist Protestants who wanted to remain in the United Kingdom. The conflict involved constant violence and tensions that extended beyond Northern Ireland. While not an official war, the extensive casualties, damage to towns, and British government investment made it resemble a real war. The violence escalated from disturbances until the Battle of Bogside in 1969 when the situation became uncontrolled. The conflict ended with the Good Friday Agreement in 1998 following the Omagh bombing that killed 29 people in the worst attack of the Troubles.