Irregular forces in Timor-Leste

Abstract

This chapter develops a typology of irregular forces that have played a major role in post-conflict Timor-Leste. Three irregular forces-(1) veterans groups, (2) martial/ritual arts groups, and (3) rebel groups-are outlined and their trajectories examined. The chapter depicts a recurring pattern of a pathway taken by the first two categories of irregular forces: leaders are going into politics while keeping their irregular forces intact, effectively maintaining their influence on both the political process and the fate of the irregular forces. The chapter also explains the process through which rebel groups have been dissolved. Some members of the irregular forces have been absorbed into private security companies as private security guards, highlighting a passage that can be described as transformed but preserving its capacity as a force. Two decades after the conflict ended, the political leadership in Timor-Leste now faces a critical generational turnover, in which a new generation of leaders seeks to seize power in an emerging democracy.