Lisbon – The commander of the Armed Forces for the Liberation of East Timor (FALINTIL) Konis Santana died on March 11 after falling in an embankment, Portuguese radio RDP announced on Monday, quoting a radio message by the a spokesman for FALINTIL, Taur Matan Ruak. Activist and 1996 Nobel Peace Prize co-laureate Jose Ramos Horta said in Lisbon following a meeting with Portuguese President Jorge Sampaio that the death of Santana represented a "serious setback" for the Timorese resistance.

Ramos Horta said that Sampaio was "profoundly sadden and dismayed" with the death of Santana.

He added that jailed rebel leader Xanana Gusmao would have the "last word" in the selection of the future commander of the Timorese armed resistance movement. Ramos Horta said that Tuar Matan Ruak would temporarily head the guerrilla. Gusmao is currently serving a 20-year sentence in the Indonesian jail of Cipinang, but he is still considered the leader of the Timorese armed resistance movement.