Up to 40 prisoners escape from East Timor jail

About 40 prisoners escaped from a jail in East Timor today, officials said, adding to security concerns in the tiny nation as it prepares for elections following political turmoil and violence last year.

Among those who broke out from the prison in the capital, Dili, were people arrested during the unrest in May that killed at least 30 people and led to the downfall of the prime minister, said prison guard Januario de Oliveira.

He said some of the other fugitives were arrested more recently for deadly gang fights that a UN-led peacekeeping force, deployed after last year’s violence, has struggled to contain.

De Oliveira said police were hunting for around 40 escapees.

Minister of Justice Domingos Samento confirmed the breakout, but was not able to say how many inmates fled or how they escaped.

Last September, another almost 60 inmates escaped from the same jail.

East Timor is due to hold presidential elections in April that some fear could spark more violence. The nation won independence from Indonesia in 1999 in a referendum ballot that was wracked by bloodshed.

The country was thrust into chaos in April and May after then Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri dismissed 600 mutinous soldiers. Rival police and army factions battled in the streets and clashes later spilled over into widespread gang warfare, looting and arson.

Alkatiri stepped down amid intense international pressure and was replaced by Nobel prize winner Jose Ramos-Horta.