Youths want Kamoli out

’Makhotso Rakotsoane

MASERU

THE All Basotho Convention (ABC) youth league yesterday appealed to the African Union (AU), the European Union (EU) and the United States government to exert pressure on the government of Lesotho to implement the SADC recommendations in full.

The youth league’s spokesperson, Mphonyane Lebesa, accused Prime Minister Pakalitha Mosisili of “dragging” his feet in “implementing those recommendations”.

The party said while the SADC Commission Report was tabled in parliament about four months ago, nothing much has been done to comply with the recommendations.

The youth league accused the government of “ignoring the issue of implementation”.

The youths urged all sectors of Basotho society to put pressure on the government to implement the SADC recommendations in full.

Lebesa said SADC itself, the African Union, the United Nations, the European Union, the Commonwealth and the United States must “force the government to do what SADC has recommended”.

The SADC Commission was established to investigate allegations of security and political instability in Lesotho as well as the killing of former army boss Maaparankoe Mahao.

It also investigated allegations of mutiny in the Lesotho Defence Force.

The commission found that Lesotho’s security is unstable, among others.

It recommended that soldiers who are implicated in crimes that range from torture and murder should be investigated and prosecuted in the courts of law.

The commission also recommended that the police should be assisted with expertise and be equipped to investigate the death of Mahao with intent to prosecute his killers.

It also recommended that three opposition leaders, Thomas Thabane of the ABC, Thesele ’Maseribane of the Basotho National Party (BNP) and Keketso Rantšo of the Reformed Congress of Lesotho (RCL) should be assisted to return to Lesotho safely.

The trio fled the country in May last year claiming their lives were in danger.

SADC also recommended wife-ranging constitutional, security and public service reforms to bring political normalcy to Lesotho.

The ABC youth league said these recommendations should be implemented in full.

They also want the 23 soldiers detained at the Maseru Maximum Security Prison facing mutiny charges to be released immediately.

They also want the army commander Lieutenant General Tlali Kamoli to be fired as recommended by the SADC commission.

The ABC youth league’s statement comes barely a week after the Lesotho Congress for Democracy (LCD), the second senior coalition government partner, was quoted in the media saying Kamoli was here to stay.

“What is more frightening is that the LCD said Lieutenant General Tlali Kamoli was going nowhere,” Lebesa said.

He said the LCD is a small political party and it has small number of seats but the Democratic Congress, which holds more seats in parliament, has not been too outspoken on the matter.

Communications Minister Khotso Letsatsi, who is government’s spokesman, said it is well known that the government is committed to the implementation of the recommendations one by one as some of them need consultations and preparedness.

He said it is not true that the government is hostile to the idea of implementing the SADC commission’s recommendations as some believe so.

He also said the government has shown its willingness to have the three opposition leaders coming back to Lesotho and talks have been held several times on that.