BBC NEWS | In Pictures | In pictures: E Timor unrest boils over

BBC NEWS / IN PICTURES
Graphics Version BBC Sport Home

Saturday, 27 May 2006, 21:50 GMT 22:50 UK

In pictures: E Timor unrest boils over

1 of 7
Women rush past a burning car in the East Timorese capital, Dili, where militias have attacked the property of rival ethnic groups aligned to competing factions in the military.

East Timorese flee clashes

2 of 7
Hundreds of people have fled the fighting. The violence, triggered by a months-old dispute over pay that split the military, has inflamed historic communal tensions.

Australian soldiers search men on Dili street

Australian soldiers search men on Dili street

3 of 7
Australian soldiers were deployed in the area last week but have been unable to check the violence, described by the prime minister as a coup attempt.

Man with homemade gun in Dili

4 of 7
Residents have set up roadblocks and armed themselves with homemade weapons to protect their property.

Weeping women with churchman in Dili

5 of 7
Many of those fleeing the clashes have sought sanctuary in churches. Here, a churchman comforts weeping women.

Refugee centre in Dili

6 of 7
Families left homeless by the fighting have been staying in makeshift centres around Dili.

Refugee boy

7 of 7
A young boy eats at one of the refugee camps. The UN has pulled out all essential staff from the area and many foreigners have been evacuated.

E-mail this to a friend