Coup in Lesotho

South African police are guarding the prime minister of Lesotho, who has returned to the country after an alleged military coup, officials confirmed on Thursday. Jeff Radebe, minister in the South African presidency, described the protection for Tom Thabane as a transitional measure until the political crisis in the tiny mountain kingdom was resolved. It is not the first time that South Africa, which surrounds Lesotho and its population of 2 million, has had a hand in its affairs, including a military invasion in 1998 that met unexpected resistance. Pretoria has ruled out a repeat this time, but analysts warn that South Africa's dependence on Lesotho for water security could raise the stakes. South Africa has invested billions in a dam system which supplies it with 780m cubic metres of water a year, most of it destined for the economic hub of Gauteng that contains Johannesburg and Pretoria.
"There's a built-in incentive for it to become a military matter because of the strategic importance of the Lesotho Highlands Water Project," one political source said. "When there are considerations like that, the situation could escalate faster than it would in normal circumstances." Thabane, 75, fled Lesotho for South Africa on Saturday, hours before the military surrounded his residence and attacked police headquarters, killing one officer and injuring others. He held emergency talks with the president, Jacob Zuma, and regional mediators. South African police escorted him back to Lesotho's state house on Wednesday. His aide, Samonyane Ntsekele, told Reuters: "He's in state house. He's the one in charge. South African police are with him and he is well secured. He saw the king today and we hope they will work together as a team. I don't know what has been agreed." Convoys of South African police, including heavily armed members of the special taskforce in combat fatigues, could be seen patrolling the streets of the capital, Maseru, the Times of South Africa reported. Units were also deployed to guard senior officials at their residences, including the newly appointed military chief Lieutenant-General Maaparankoe Mahao. Mahao survived an assassination attempt soon after Thabane appointed him to replace the sacked Tlali Kamoli. "Security measures were in place and so far we are fine," Mahao told Agence France-Presse. "The prime minister is fine. He's already at work." He added that efforts were under way to ensure that Kamoli handed over command of the army to him. Kamoli has been named by Lesotho intelligence officers as orchestrating the "coup" along with the deputy prime minister Mothejoa Metsing, who is locked in a power struggle with Thabane. The army has denied staging a coup. It said it acted to disarm the police, alleging they had planned to pass an assortment of weapons to unspecified political radicalsBut according to the Times, police said the army units had opened fire on them without warning and seized at least 100 weapons, including AK47s, M16 rifles, handguns and "five cases of Savanna, two cases of Coke and four cell phones". The police commissioner, Khothatso Tsooana, also fled the country and returned in a South African police car with South African escorts. He ordered police back to work after they had abandoned their duties. "All police officers are ordered to report for duty immediately," he said. "The situation in the country has gone back to normal and my being in the country shows that." The Southern African Development Community (SADC) has sent an observer team to the "kingdom in the sky". Thabane had asked the regional bloc to send peacekeeping troops but was denied. SADC did, however, force the country's rival parties to agree to a deal that called for Thabane's return and the reopening of parliament. Lesotho has endured several coups since it gained independence from Britain in 1966. At least 58 residents and eight South African soldiers died during a political stand-off and subsequent fighting in 1998, when Pretoria sent in troops to avert a revolt. Britain urged parties to work together to peacefully resolve the crisis. James Duddridge, its Africa minister, said: "The UK is deeply concerned by the current political situation in the kingdom of Lesotho. I welcome the Southern African Development Community's ongoing engagement and hope all parties will now work together to implement the Windhoek agreements and ensure all disputes are settled in a peaceful manner, and in line with Lesotho's constitution and principles of the rule of law."