Former guerilla sworn in as East Timor leader

DILI, East Timor: East Timor swore in a new government led by former guerilla fighter Taur Matan Ruak on Friday following a protracted political crisis that has paralysed the tiny Southeast Asian nation.

Ruak heads the second government in less than a year in the impoverished half-island nation that won independence in 2002 after a brutal 24-year occupation by neighbouring Indonesia.

Born Jose Maria Vasconcelos but universally known by his nom de guerre Taur Matan Ruak -- which means "two sharp eyes" -- Ruak was a commander in the East Timorese resistance before becoming chief of the newly independent nation´s army.

He also served in the largely ceremonial role of president between 2012 and 2017. Parliament was dissolved in January amid tensions between former prime minister Mari Alkatiri´s minority government and an opposition centred around independence hero Xanana Gusmao.

An alliance led by Gusmao clinched an absolute majority in elections held in May. Ruak´s new government includes members of Gusmao´s National Congress for Timorese Reconstruction (CNRT), the People´s Liberation Party (PLP) and the youth-based Khunto.

"My government... will take society and the people to a better future," Ruak said on Friday. But the incoming administration faces big challenges as the clock is ticking fast on East Timor´s disappearing oil and gas reserves.

The resources pay for the bulk of government spending but oil revenues are in steep decline and the country has few other productive economic sectors. About 60 percent of East Timor´s population is under 25, according to the World Bank, while some 40 percent of its people live in poverty. Providing jobs for young people and reining in public spending -- especially on large infrastructure projects -- will be key tasks for the new government, analysts say.