Northern Ireland paramilitary activity must end, acting leader Arlene Foster says

Paramilitary activity in Northern Ireland must be addressed before political stability can return to the crisis-hit province, acting First Minister Arlene Foster said Friday.

The problems there also drew concern Friday from British Prime Minister David Cameron.

The British province's devolved administration is on the brink of collapse after a murder linked to former members of the paramilitary Irish Republican Army prompted First Minister Peter Robinson to step aside Thursday.

"In order to have that stable government, we have to deal with the twin problems in front of us, not least paramilitary activity being linked to one of the parties of government, Sinn Fein," Foster told Sky.

"We can't just ignore that — we need to deal with the issue," she said. "And in order to have stability in the future, we need to deal with that cancer at the heart of government now."

It is unacceptable in any part of our country to have active paramilitary groups.- U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron

Police suspect members of the IRA were involved in the Aug. 12 shooting death of former IRA member Kevin McGuigan.

Sinn Fein, the former political wing of the IRA, denies the group is still active, saying it "left the stage" after a 2005 ceasefire.

In London, Cameron said Friday he was extremely worried about the political crisis in Northern Ireland, where the power-sharing government is on the brink of collapse in the gravest crisis since a 1998 peace deal ended years of sectarian violence.

"It's an extremely worrying and difficult situation at the moment," Cameron said after a speech in northern England.

"I don't think it's right for the British government to step in and suspend these institutions. I want to see the politicians of Northern Ireland … working out how to make these institutions work.

"It is unacceptable in any part of our country to have active paramilitary groups. They have to be disbanded, and disbanded on all sides."