Dozens of houses torched in East Timor

Women and children ran screaming from their homes today as militias torched dozens of houses in East Timor’s capital Dili amid efforts by foreign troops to stem violence that threatens to split the tiny nation apart.

Civilian militias armed with slingshots, machetes and spears were seen roaming the neighbourhood in southern Dili, throwing rocks through the windows of the small, tin-roofed houses and setting them on fire.