The Lesotho army returned to its barracks on Sunday, April 19, the day after the operation ordered by Prime Minister Thomas Thabane to "Restore order" facing those who demand his resignation, under the worried look of the international community.
The small kingdom is going through a serious political crisis since the implication at the beginning of the year of Mr. Thabane, 80 years old, in the murder of his ex-wife in 2017. Suspected by the police and the justice of having ordered the l he assassination, the head of government clings to his post despite pressure from his own party and the opposition who demand his departure.
In power since 2017, he called on the army on Saturday to "Restore order" in reaction to the attitude of "Certain persons and institutions" who, he accused, "Attack principles and authority that ensure stability and democracy".
The armored and armed soldiers patrolling the streets of the capital, Maseru, under confinement due to the coronavirus pandemic, returned to their barracks on Sunday, an AFP journalist said.
A South African ministerial delegation also went to the capital on Sunday to take the pulse of the situation, it was learned in the entourage of the head of government. " They arrived "Thabane’s secretary Thabo Thakalekoala told AFP.
In a statement signed with his American, British and European Union (EU) counterparts, the Pretoria ambassador to Maseru recalled "The importance of maintaining stability and the rule of law" in Lesotho. "We urge the local authorities to favor a unitary approach which privileges the protection of the citizens and the maintenance of essential services" because of the coronavirus pandemic, add the diplomats, "Destabilizing actions would be catastrophic".
The people of Lesotho are being held in containment until at least Tuesday to stem the spread of the coronavirus. No case of Covid-19 has yet been reported in the small African kingdom.
AIDS pandemic
Police chief Holomo Molibeli on Sunday denied being arrested, contrary to government sources, but said he was removed from office. "I know that the army had been ordered to arrest me (…), but it was not executed"Molibeli told AFP. "Someone claimed to have been appointed in my place, he added. I asked for justice to be protected. "
Since being implicated in the murder of his wife, Thomas Thabane has been dropped by his party, the Convention of All Basotho (ABC).
He promised to retire "By the end of July" because of his age, but the CBA and the opposition suspect him of wanting to buy time to organize his judicial impunity.
His opponents formed a political alliance last month to replace him, but the head of government responded by ordering the suspension of parliament for three months as part of the measures to combat the coronavirus.
The Constitutional Court canceled its order on Thursday, and hastened its decision to involve the military.
"The Prime Minister's actions clearly show that he is no longer fit to perform his duties, judged the ABC's vice president, Professor Nqosa Mahao, in a statement co-signed by two opposition parties. We advise the Prime Minister to leave office before the date he has indicated. His stubbornness to violate the Constitution and to scorn court decisions has become embarrassing. "
Landlocked in the middle of South Africa, Lesotho has known since independence in 1966 an unstable political history punctuated by military coups.
Struck by unemployment, an AIDS epidemic that affects 23% of its 2 million inhabitants and a blatant lack of public services, it is one of the poorest countries on the planet.
