Lesotho - A Lesotho army general thought to be in possession of a stockpile of weapons while in hiding in the country's mountains has been seen at a meeting in Maseru, SABC reported on Wednesday.
An SABC news crew saw Lt-Gen Tlali Kamoli attending a meeting in Lesotho's capital. Kamoli reportedly told the broadcaster he was not in hiding.
He said he had never been in hiding and that he had never taken weapons from the Lesotho army's armoury.
An SABC journalist tweeted three pictures of Kamoli, dressed in army clothing, attending the meeting.
The French news agency Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported on Tuesday that rival Lesotho leaders had vowed to resolve an 11-day crisis that has spurred calls for regional military intervention in the country, after South Africa brokered talks.
The sparring factions reportedly agreed to hold further negotiations and to present a concrete date for reopening Lesotho's parliament to President Jacob Zuma on Friday.
“We had very frank and good kind of discussions,” AFP reported Zuma as saying after the three-hour meeting, aimed at keeping a week-old peace deal alive.
“We're just about to get there,” said Lesotho prime minister Thomas Thabane, who suspended parliament in June and has struggled to preserve his coalition government.
Kamoli was accused of triggering the crisis on August 30, one day after he was fired by Thabane, AFP reported.
Kamoli allegedly attempted an early morning coup, including the botched abduction of Thabane and an assault on several police stations. Thabane fled to South Africa in the aftermath, but returned later.
Sapa