UN blames East Timor's former PM for recent unrest
A UN report into recent violence that wracked East Timor today said former Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri ignored evidence that members of his government were arming civilians.
The report said he should be the target of a criminal investigation.
The UN Special Commission of Inquiry also said the men who served as Alkatiri’s ministers of defence and interior should be held accountable for the illegal transfer of weapons.
East Timor descended into chaos in May following the dismissal of 600 soldiers by Alkatiri, a move that split the armed forces into factions and later spilled over into gang warfare that left at least 30 people dead.
“Alkatiri ... failed to use his firm authority to denounce the transfer of security sector weapons to civilians in the face of credible information that such transfer was ongoing and involved members of the government,” the UN report said.
“In arming civilians, the Minister of Interior Rogerio Lobato and the Minister of Defence Roque Rodrigues ... acted without lawful authority and created a situation of significant potential danger. They should be held accountable.”
