Soon after the Portuguese left East Timor, fighting ensued between opposing Timorese political parties The Fretilin party came out on top and declared an independent East Timor on 28 November, 1975

Nine days later East Timor was invaded and ‘annexed’ by Indonesian forces

José Ramos-Horta was out of the country when the invasion occurred He remained in exile for 24 years, lobbying in the United Nations for Timorese independence

Meanwhile Xanana Gusmão and Bishop Belo remained in East Timor

Xanana Gusmão became the head of the Falintil political party’s military wing, Fretilin He led the resistance army for 17 years until his capture in 1992

While in prison in Indonesia, Xanana continued to work for Timorese independence

Bishop Belo also remained in East Timor during the Indonesian occupation, providing support to the Timorese people, and speaking out against human rights abuses

In 1996, Bishop Belo and José Ramos-Horta were jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for their work towards a just and peaceful solution to the conflict in East Timor

After the 1999 independence referendum, the United Nations sent an Australian-led peacekeeping force into East Timor to bring an end to the post-referendum violence The force was known as INTERFET and was led by the Australian Major General, Peter Cosgrove

Note both Xanana Gusmão and Bishop Belo are in this picture In this image, General Cosgrove is handing over to the transitional leadership team of East Timor in 2000 Note both Xanana Gusmão and Bishop Belo are in this picture

After that he was Prime Minister for two terms Xanana Gusmão was the first president of Timor-Leste (from 2002 – 2007) After that he was Prime Minister for two terms In 2014, he stepped down from this role

José Ramos-Horta returned to East Timor in 1999 to a hero’s welcome He served as the country’s foreign minister from 2002, and the Prime Minister in 2006, and then as President from 2007 – 2012

Image credits: Wikimedia Commons