SWAZI ARMY FOR LESOTHO CHAOS
NOKWANE – The Umbutfo Swaziland Defence Force (USDF) is expected to be part of a Southern Africa army battalion to be deployed to restore peace and tranquillity in the trouble-torn Kingdom of Lesotho.
Last week, Lieutenant General Sobantu Dlamini was invited to attend an extraordinary meeting for Southern African army chiefs, to devise a military strategy to resolve the impasse in Lesotho.
The USDF could find itself participating in a military intervention in a country where the agitator, Lieutenant General Tlali Kamoli, the dismissed Army Commander, has vowed to fight.
He has also insisted that all regional armies put together would be his adversaries if they launched attacks on him.
The Times SUNDAY learnt from inside sources in the Swazi army that the army commander did not personally attend the extraordinary conference.
He is said to have delegated one of his senior soldiers to join the regional army chiefs in the discussion of a way forward.
Following his unsuccessful coup attempt, the rebel army commander took to the hills with about 200 soldiers and a large amount of weapons, including AK47 rifles, grenade-launchers, an anti-aircraft gun and about 20 mortars.
Reports coming from Maseru suggest that Kamoli is in control of Lesotho’s elite special forces of around 40 highly trained soldiers as well as the Military Intelligence Unit.
On Friday, the home of Lesotho Mounted Police Service (LMPS) Commissioner Khothatso Tšooana was attacked by gunmen who were allegedly in three Lesotho Defence Force (LDF) vehicles.
The attack, which has been confirmed by LMPS Spokesperson Lebona Mohloboli took place at around 2am on Friday. The renegade army commander is accused of masterminding an attempted coup against Prime Minister Thomas Thabane three weeks ago.
The prime minister was forced to flee to South Africa where he was holed up for three days as the Southern African Development Community (SADC) deliberated on the matter.
Kamoli was removed as army boss a fortnight ago, triggering political tensions in the small mountainous kingdom of two million people.
The Lesotho Congress for Democracy (LCD) and Democratic Congress (DC) are standing by the dismissed army commander.
Lesotho police said it was too risky to arrest Kamoli. The Lesotho Defence Force (LDF) is now divided into two factions.
One faction is led by the renegade army commander while the other is under the command of Maaparankoe Mahao, the new army commander appointed by embattled Prime Minister Thabane.
Mahao is finding it difficult to access barracks in Lesotho as his predecessor refuses to relinguish the command of the LDF following his dismissal by the prime minister.
Understood to be hiding in the mountains, Kamoli shocked the Basotho when he resurfaced this week in Maseru despite facing treason charges. The police did not arrest him. It has been established that the regional army chiefs did not delve into the political merits and demerits of the political strife that has divided the Lesotho Defence Force (LDF) into two military factions.
The new army boss said the meeting held behind closed doors was for defence chiefs to discuss ‘the security crisis in Lesotho.’
Mahao said they did not talk about the political instability in the country because the military was supposed to be apolitical in every country.
He said they focused on the security crisis in Lesotho that was currently going through, and particularly the change of command which has become such a big issue in the mountainous kingdom.
He said SADC was aware that Kamoli was refusing to vacate the commander’s post. Meanwhile, the Prime Minister, Lesotho Congress for Democracy (LCD) leader Mothetjoa Metsing and Basotho National Party (BNP) leader Thesele ‘Maseribane agreed to open Parliament on Friday, September 19, 2014.
This was as per an agreement brokered by South African President Jacob Zuma about two weeks ago.
Zuma jetted into Lesotho on Tuesday after the prime minister had hinted he would delay the reopening of Parliament due to the security situation in the country.
Thabane and other political leaders supporting him are being protected by the South African Police Service after he returned home from South Africa last week. That was after LDF members had attacked police stations and the State House in what the two leaders described as an attempted coup. Zuma is said to be adamant that the reopening of Parliament must happen as originally agreed to enable all other problems in the country to be discussed and resolved.
The Times SUNDAY can reveal though that reports from Lesotho continue to suggest that the Lesotho Defence Force remains a major security threat.
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