Falintil

[5][failed verification] On 31 August 1983, the Indonesian Army began military operations around Viqueque, about 100 kilometres (62 mi) from Dili.

[6] On 5 May 1985 Gusmão sent the Fretilin central committee, operating in exile, a message informing them of the structure of the CRRN and assuming the title of Commander-in-Chief of Falintil.

A significant step in the unification of the resistance movement occurred in March 1986 when Fretilin and UDT agreed to establish the "nationalist convergence".

[7][full citation needed] On 20 June 1988, the National Resistance of East Timorese Students (Resistência Nacional dos Estudantes de Timor-Leste, RENETIL) was created in Indonesia, reporting directly to Falintil and Gusmão.

This meeting also saw the formation of the Clandestine Front (Frente Clandestina), which came about from the recognition that Falintil, the armed resistance, had been significantly weakened by many years of guerrilla activity against the Indonesian military.

In April 1998 during the National Convention of East Timorese Living Abroad being held in Portugal, the National Council of Timorese Resistance (Conselho Nacional da Resistência Timorense, CNRT) was formed, replacing the CNRM and reinforcing the previous attempts to unify all the factions of the resistance struggle against Indonesia.

Changes in the Indonesian government, together with growing international pressure, resulted in the President of Indonesia, B. J. Habibie, announcing a referendum for the East Timorese people to vote on autonomy.

The following day the Indonesian military and pro-Indonesia militias, in response to the referendum result, started a massive campaign of looting and violence against the East Timorese people.

On 1 February 2001 Falintil was officially dissolved, only to be almost immediately resurrected as the official armed force of the newly independent country, the East Timorese Defence Force (Falintil–Forças de Defesa de Timor Leste, F-FDTL), with the duty under the Constitution of East Timor to "guarantee the independence of the nation, its territorial integrity, and the freedom and safety of the population against aggression, which does not respect the constitutional order.

Falintil veterans make up a significant portion of the membership of the "politico-criminal" armed groups operating in East Timor, such as Sagrada Familia, CPD-RDTL, and Colimau 2000.