Dili – Four East Timorese soldiers were convicted of murder and sentenced to up to 12 years in prison Thursday for gunning down unarmed police officers during a spasm of violence in the fledgling democracy last year.

Eight police officers were killed and 25 other people wounded when the troops opened fire on them during a UN-mediated cease-fire. They were walking past the Justice Ministry with a white flag and their hands in the air.

East Timor descended into chaos last April when a third of the army deserted, fleeing to the hills with their weapons. Clashes between police and army forces gave way to gang warfare, looting and arson that left at least 37 people dead and drove 155,000 people from their homes.

Relative calm was restored by thousands of foreign troops – still needed to maintain peace – and a new president and government were installed earlier this year without major incident.

Former Interior Minister Rogerio Lobato was sentenced to seven years in prison for arming civilians, but Thursday's ruling was the first against those directly involved in the bloodshed.

On Monday, the court will put on trial renegade soldier Alfredo Reinado, who last week threatened fresh violence against the government, said Judge Ivo Rosa Caeiro. Reinado is not expected to attend the hearings.

East Timor, a former Portuguese colony, gained independence in 2002 after more than two decades of brutal Indonesian occupation. Its new political leaders, including President Jose Ramos-Horta, a Nobel Peace Prize winner, have vowed to tackle rampant poverty and restore damaged relations between the country's police and army.