DILI, East Timor (AP) 鈥� Francisco Guterres, and a leading figure in the country鈥檚 independence movement, has died. He was 71.
Guterres, widely known by his nom de guerre 鈥淟u Olo,鈥� died on Sunday at Prince Court Medical Centre in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, where he had been in intensive care, his family said on the late president’s official Facebook account. The cause of death was not immediately disclosed.
Guterres served as president from 2017 to 2022, capping decades of involvement in the political and armed struggle that led to independence for Southeast Asia鈥檚 youngest nation in 2002.
鈥淭hroughout his life, he remained committed to the freedom of his people and the building of a democratic nation,鈥� Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said in a message of condolences to his family and the people of East Timor, known also as Timor Leste.
Fretilin, the party Guterres led for years, said his death was a 鈥減rofound loss鈥� for all those who shared the goal of building a free, democratic and sovereign country.
The party highlighted his lifelong dedication to the independence movement and his role in promoting national unity, dialogue, peace and political stability throughout his public career.
Born Sept. 7, 1954, in Ossu, a town of Viqueque District, in what was then Portuguese Timor, he served as a guerrilla commander who rose to prominence in the resistance against Indonesia鈥檚 occupation from 1975 to 1999. As a senior leader of Fretilin, he later played a key role in the transition to independence following a United Nations-backed referendum in 1999.
He served as president of the Constituent Assembly in 2001, overseeing the drafting of East Timor鈥檚 constitution, and became the first speaker of the National Parliament after independence in 2002. After several unsuccessful bids, he was and served one term. He lost current President Jose Ramos-Horta, his fellow independence fighter.
East Timor’s government declared seven days of national mourning with flags lowered on all public buildings and the country’s missions abroad.
Guterres is survived by his wife, Cidalia Lopes Nobre Mouzinho Guterres, and their children. Funeral arrangements are expected to be announced later.
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