Building strong State institutions, particularly a credible security sector, will be vital if Timor-Leste is to resolve many of the issues that continue to plague the young nation, a visiting senior United Nations official said today.

While Timor-Leste has recovered well from the violent crisis that engulfed it last year, it continues to grapple with a host of challenges including the fate of about 100,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) and widespread poverty, the head of a recent United Nations Security Council mission to the tiny nation said today.

Welcoming the formation of a new Government in Timor-Leste after recent legislative elections, the Security Council today urged the small South-East Asian country’s political groups to resolve any differences or disputes through only peaceful channels.

Post-electoral violence in Timor-Leste, including arson and rock-throwing, has reportedly driven at least 4,000 people from their homes in two eastern districts in the small South-East Asian country, forcing them to stay in the mountains or in convents, schools and compounds considered safe, according to United Nations humanitarian officials.