King Letsie III Archives - Jean-Jacques Cornish

Lesotho parliament dissolved

Jean-Jacques Cornish — Fri, 05 Dec 2014 22:00:00 +0000

In keeping with the regional roadmap to restore peace to Lesotho, King Letsie III dissolved parliament ahead of a February election.
The official spokesman says this shows compliance with the SADC peace deal reached after an attempted coup at the end of August.

The attempted coup that sent Prime Minister Tom Thabane briefly into exile in South Africa exposed friction between the Lesotho military and the police, pushing the country to the brink of a full-blown conflict.

Though tensions have eased, police say they are still investigating recent claims that foreign mercenaries entered Lesotho to assassinate Thabane and other leaders.

The impoverished country with a population of just over two million is likely to turn to the international community for the funding of the election.

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Lesotho police probe mercenary plot

Jean-Jacques Cornish — Mon, 10 Nov 2014 22:00:00 +0000

Lesotho police are probing claims that foreign mercenaries are plan to kill Prime Minister Tom Thabane.

It’s alleged a dozen Nigerian and Ghanaian hired guns have slipped into the mountain kingdom through its porous border with South Africa.

Senior Lesotho officials say they’re investigating efforts to further destabilise their country shaken by an abortive coup attempt at the end of August.

Police say King Letsie III and Prime Minister Tom Thabane have cancelled public engagements.

Several government offices have been evacuated.

The alleged mercenaries have reportedly accessed a stash of weapons waiting for them in Lesotho.

Renegade General Tlali Kamoli who’s taken to the mountains with some special forces members, has until Saturday to leave the country to earn the pension negotiated by special regional facilitator Cyril Ramaphosa.

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Parliament to open in Lesotho

Jean-Jacques Cornish — Wed, 15 Oct 2014 22:00:00 +0000

In his capacity as regional facilitator for Lesotho, Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa’s returned to the mountain kingdom for the reconvening of parliament in Maseru.

The legislature will pass a budget and make preparations for elections next February.

Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa expected to spend three days in Lesotho.

He’ll see King Letsie III who will preside over the ceremony opening parliament on Friday

Ramaphosa negotiated a way through the political impasse that caused Prime Minister Thomas Thabane to shutter the legislature last June to avoid facing a no confidence debate that he was bound lose to dissident members of his coalition government and the opposition.

A regional summit in Pretoria last month determined that parliament in Maseru will dissolve at the beginning of December, having prepared the road for elections

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