Alfredo Reinado
Timorese major who deserted and led a rebel uprising.
Alfredo Alves Reinado (11 November 1968 – 11 February 2008) was a major in the Timor-Leste Defence Force (F-FDTL) who deserted in May 2006 to lead a rebellion of former soldiers, sparking the 2006 East Timor crisis. His escape from prison and subsequent manhunt made him a central figure in the country's instability, and he was killed during coordinated attacks on the president and prime minister in 2008.
Quick Facts
- Honorific Prefix
- Major
- Birth Name
- Alfredo Alves Reinado
- Birth Date
- 11 November 1968
- Birth Place
- Dili, Portuguese Timor
- Death Date
- 2008-02-11
- Death Place
- Dili, East Timor
- Allegiance
- East Timor
- Service Years
- 1999–2006
- Known For
- 2006 East Timorese crisis / 2008 East Timorese assassination attempts
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Alfredo Reinado was born in 1968, and there is no widely-known evidence that he was captured by the Indonesian National Military during their 1975 invasion of East Timor or served as a porter in Sulawesi and Kalimantan. He arrived in Australia in 1998 or later, not as part of a group of 18 refugees on a leaky boat in 1995; he was detained at Curtin Immigration Detention Centre and later worked in Western Australian shipyards. After East Timor's independence referendum, he returned to captain a tugboat before entering the F-FDTL at the government's request, becoming commander of the Naval Unit. He was removed from that post in July 2004 after a fight with police, and after a naval training course in Australia he was disciplined for involvement with a junior female soldier and reassigned to command the military police, a downgrade. His acerbic style led to a transfer to army headquarters in Dili, and personal factors likely contributed to his desertion on 4 May 2006, when he and 20 troops joined rebel soldiers in the hills with two trucks of weapons.
Reader's Guide
Reinado's significance lies in his role as the highest-ranking deserter in the 2006 East Timor crisis, which destabilized the young nation and drew international security forces. His escape from Dili's main jail on 30 August 2006, with over 50 other prisoners, created a new crisis and led to a prolonged manhunt involving Australian and New Zealand forces. Despite attempts at negotiation, including meetings with President José Ramos-Horta, Reinado was charged with eight counts of murder and weapons offenses. His death on 11 February 2008 during coordinated attacks on the prime minister and president ended his rebellion but left questions about the circumstances of his shooting. His legacy is tied to the unresolved grievances of sacked soldiers and the fragility of Timor-Leste's post-independence institutions.
Did You Know?
- Reinado escaped from Dili's main jail on the anniversary of the 1999 independence referendum.
- He received military training primarily from Australia and possibly Portugal, but not from Brazil.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Alfredo Reinado?
Alfredo Alves Reinado was a Timorese military major who walked out of the F-FDTL in May 2006 and rallied a band of former soldiers into an armed faction. He quickly became the most visible dissident in East Timor's fragile post-independence era.
What role did Reinado play in the 2006 East Timor crisis?
His desertion and the armed group he assembled were the trigger that pushed the country into a full-blown political and security collapse. The resulting instability ultimately required an international peacekeeping deployment to restore basic order.
How did Alfredo Reinado die?
On 11 February 2008, Reinado was killed in the course of a coordinated armed assault aimed at both the sitting president and the prime minister. He had been on the run for roughly a year after escaping detention earlier that year.
Why is Reinado considered a significant figure in Timor-Leste's history?
He embodied the deep institutional rifts that nearly tore the young nation apart just five years after independence. His rebellion exposed unresolved tensions between rival military factions and civilian leadership that continue to shape the country's governance.
What was Reinado's military background before the rebellion?
Born on 11 November 1968, he rose to the rank of major within the Timor-Leste Defence Force before his 2006 walkout. That seniority and his network of former troops gave his rebel group a level of structure and credibility that smaller dissident cells lacked.
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