Prime minister resigns
The week's news at a glance.
Dili, East Timor
East Timor’s prime minister resigned this week under intense public pressure. Many East Timorese hold Mari Alkatiri responsible for a wave of political violence that has claimed dozens of lives and forced 150,000 people to flee their homes. Last week, the fledgling democracy’s popular president, Xanana Gusmao, threatened to quit if Alkatiri did not. In handing in his resignation, Alkatiri said he was “assuming my own share of responsibility for the crisis affecting our country.”
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