Lesotho on edge after army commander killed
Lesotho’s army commander was shot dead by rival officers at a military barracks yesterday, an official said, in an apparent assassination set to revive instability in the mountainous African kingdom.
“The commander (Khoantle Motsomotso) has been declared dead,” a military official, who declined to be named, said, adding that two senior officers behind the attack were also killed in the shoot-out.
The military official said the two senior officers had been denied access to Motsomotso’s office by army guards.
“They attempted to forcefully enter, there was a shoot-out between the two, their companion who has since fled, and the commander’s bodyguards,” he said.
A new coalition government took office in Lesotho in June under Prime Minister Thomas Thabane, who vowed to bring peace to the country that has been rocked by a series of political upheavals.
Thabane, 78, previously served as premier after the 2012 elections, but was forced to flee to South Africa – which entirely surrounds landlocked Lesotho – following an attempted military coup two years later.
In August 2014, soldiers led by sacked army chief General Tlali Kamoli seized control of police headquarters after Thabane had suspended parliament to avoid a no-confidence vote.
Thabane’s All Basotho Convention (ABC) party won snap elections on June 3 but failed to get an outright majority, leading it to negotiate joint rule with three other parties.
Known as Africa’s Switzerland because of its mountainous scenery, Lesotho has a long history of political instability, having also suffered coups in 1986 and 1991.
Lesotho is important to South Africa as it provides much of the water supply to Johannesburg, while the regional Southern African Development Community (SADC) has worked to promote stability.
“I am hoping that we can have a peaceful Lesotho,” said President Jacob Zuma from a summit in China.
“From the SADC point of view, we thought that the Lesotho problem ended. Actions that people take there must not lead into another situation.”