The Sunday News
MASERU — Lesotho Prime Minister Thomas Thabane confirmed yesterday that the military had seized power in a coup in the tiny kingdom and that he had fled to neighbouring South Africa in fear for his life.
South Africa said on Saturday Lesotho’s army appeared to had staged a coup d’etat and added that an unconstitutional change of government would not be tolerated by the region.
“By all accounts the actions of the Lesotho defence force bear the hallmarks of a coup d’etat,” South African Foreign Ministry spokesman Clayson Monyela told reporters.
The new Sadc leadership, steered by the regional bloc’s Chair, President Mugabe, now faces a litmus test in how it handles political strife in Lesotho.
“I came into South Africa this morning and I will return as soon as my life is not in danger.
“I have been removed from control not by the people but by the armed forces, and that is illegal,” Thabane told the BBC.
“I will not go back to Lesotho to get killed.”
The eNCA confirmed information from the Prime Minister’s office that Military Commander, Tlali Kamoli had been dismissed over a number of criminal cases.
Maaparankoe Mahao has been appointed as the new commander.
Kamoli was responsible for divisions within the Defence Force according to the Director General for Defence and National Security, Thato Mohasoa.
Mohasoa claimed that some senior members of the defence force were being a law unto themselves, and were becoming increasingly difficult to work with.
He said an element of the defence force sided with the main opposition party in the coalition government and that was what led to the coup.
The attempted coup comes barely two weeks after the 34th Sadc Summit in Victoria Falls urged coalition partners in Lesotho’s government to find lasting solutions to their problems.
Two months ago, parliament was suspended, prompting South Africa to warn it would not tolerate instability. This was after PM Thabane clashed with his deputy, Mothetjoa Metsing, the leader of Lesotho Congress for Democracy.
There were claims that Mr Metsing could have been behind the alleged coup plot.
At the Victoria Falls Sadc Summit, regional leaders “appealed to all political leaders and the people in general to refrain from any action that may undermine peace and stability in the country and urged political stakeholders to resolve the political challenges in accordance with the constitution, laws of the land in line with democratic principles”.
Gunfire was heard in Maseru, capital of the small mountainous southern African kingdom encircled by South Africa, and army units occupied police headquarters and surrounded the prime minister’s residence, residents and diplomats said.
“It is a military coup because it is led by the military. And the military are outside the instructions of the commander-in-chief, who is myself,” Thabane told South Africa’s eNCA TV by telephone.
Thabane told the BBC he had fled to neighbouring South Africa. His precise location was not immediately known.
Thabane said he would meet South African leaders, representing the regional Southern African Development Community (Sadc) later yesterday to discuss the crisis in Lesotho, which followed tensions between rival factions of the two-year-old governing coalition.
Residents and diplomats said that heavily armed soldiers had surrounded State House and also occupied the main headquarters of the police force, which is loyal to Prime Minister Thabane.
The diplomats said the army was mostly loyal to Deputy Prime Minister Mothetjoa Metsing, who vowed to form a new coalition that would oust Thabane, who in June suspended parliament to avoid a no-confidence vote.
Giving its version of events, the Lesotho defence force denied attempting a coup against Thabane, saying it had moved against police elements suspected of planning to arm a political faction, an army spokesman said.
“There is nothing like that, the situation has returned to normalcy . . . the military has returned to their barracks,” Major Ntlele Ntoi told Reuters. He added the military “supports the democratically-elected government of the day”.
Ntoi said one soldier and four police had been injured during the army action.
Diplomatic sources said the army made its move after the prime minister had fired the army commander, Lt-Gen Kennedy Tlali Kamoli. The army spokesman said Kamoli was still in charge of the military.
Residents said the streets of the capital were calm, although some shops remained closed.
South Africa and regional grouping Sadc were expected to issue a call for calm and warn the Lesotho political rivals that no unconstitutional change of government would be tolerated.
Since independence in 1966, Lesotho has undergone a number of military coups.
In 1998 at least 58 locals and eight South African soldiers died and large parts of Maseru were damaged during a political stand-off and subsequent fighting. — Reuters/BBC/eNca/ Sapa/Bureaus.
