Maseru - South Africa and the region are coming under new pressure to avert civil war in Lesotho after the country’s renegade army commander, Tladi Kamoli, emptied the country’s arsenal and led troops into its mountains last week for a possible revenge attack over his dismissal.
The SAPS’s special task force (STF) has already been deployed in Lesotho for several days to protect Prime Minister Tom Thabane and his senior officials from Kamoli’s troops.
More members of the STF were deployed in Lesotho at the weekend, though no official comment has been forthcoming on their placement.
But on Thursday and Friday, uniformed and armed members of the STF were seen checking in at hotels.
Meanwhile, SANDF soldiers from Bloemfontein have been taking up positions around key South African towns near the Lesotho border.
Many fear that Kamoli, who staged a coup attempt last week that forced Thabane to flee to South Africa, could launch a military attack if Thabane persists with efforts to fire him.
Kamoli, who is now officially wanted by the Lesotho Mounted Police Service for high treason, is believed to be in hiding with his loyal special forces at Sedibeng, their training ground in the mountains of Lesotho.
Some of his forces have vowed in interviews with the Lesotho media that they would die for Kamoli.
Kamoli has vowed to go down fighting, and his successor, Maaparankoe Mahao, last night called for military intervention from the Southern African Development Community to “avert the worst”.
But a similar call by Thabane was rejected at last week’s meeting of the Sadc troika on politics, defence and security, though it agreed that South African police would escort him back to Lesotho last Wednesday and provide protection for him and other key officials.
Mahao has been trying to take charge of the Lesotho Defence Force (LDF) after his appointment to replace Kamoli last week, issuing commands from hiding unsuccessfully.
His appointment was gazetted by King Letsie III last weekend and is seen as the main cause of Kamoli’s coup bid.
Mahao has not set foot on the army’s headquarters or on any of its main barracks for fear of reprisal by Kamoli and his supporters.
Mahao last night urged Sadc to consider a full-scale military deployment to rein in Kamoli as the best way of averting mass civilians’ deaths.
Thabane, at a media conference on Friday, urged Kamoli to surrender, saying his theft of the LDF’s armoury was illegal.
Thabane had earlier called on Kamoli to hand himself over at State House to get his official letter of dismissal and be told to leave office “amicably”, but Kamoli refused.
Sources say Kamoli will try to hang on until September 19, when parliament officially re-opens, under an agreement brokered by President Jacob Zuma last week, in the hope that Thabane will be ousted then in a no-confidence motion.
If that happens, Kamoli would most likely be reinstated as head of the LDF by Deputy Prime Minister Methotjoa Metsing and opposition leader and former prime minister Pakalitha Mosisili, who are leading a bid to oust Thabane.
But if the South African security force that is now in Lesotho forcibly try to disarm him, the renegade commander is said to be prepared to fight back “to the last man”, the source said. - Independent Foreign Service
The Star