For nearly a year, beginning in March 2006, a political crisis leading to turmoil and violence gripped the new nation of Timor-Leste (formerly East Timor). The crisis began when 591 soldiers from the country's western region were dismissed after signing a petition claiming discrimination inside the 1300-strong Timor-Leste Defense Force (FDTL). On April 28, a demonstration by the dismissed soldiers turned violent. In the weeks of rioting that followed at least 25 people were killed, houses and shops were burned and looted and many of the 130,000 residents of the capital city of Dili fled their homes. The dismissals aggravated already underlying ethnic tensions between people who come from the eastern part of the country and those from the west. The arrival of an Australian-led multinational contingent of about 2700 troops eventually helped to reduce the street violence and increase security in Dili. However, daily episodes of rock-throwing and other violent actions including the occasional burning of homes continue to plague many of the neighborhoods. As of January 2008 there were still approximately 30,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) living in over 30 camps in Dili, fearful of returning home due to the continued threat of roaming armed gangs. Another 70,000 or so IDPs live in camps in outlying districts.
National elections for president and parliament that took place in mid-2007 were also thought to increase the potential for violence and intimidation of this vulnerable population, but were conducted peacefully. In early 2008 another potential crisis arose with the shooting of the president of Timor-Leste, Jose Ramos Horta in an apparent assassination attempt. However, this event was also not followed by widespread violence as feared.
As a result of this episodic social unrest, programmatic activities in HAI’s maternal and newborn care and child spacing programs progressed more slowly than planned during these periods. Most of HAI's field staff and counterparts at the government’s Ministry of Health (MOH) were among the IDPs living in crowded camps in Dili. Early in the crisis HAI staff worked with the United Nations and other organizations providing emergency humanitarian aid to the people living in IDP camps around Dili, but as quickly as possible returned to our basic focus on support to the MOH. With increased security, staff have gradually been able to resume normal program activities.
Women still face the challenges of pregnancy, delivery, and maternal and newborn illness, and HAI is committed to assisting the Timorese to improve their chances for healthy lives for this coming generation.
— Health Alliance International