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Leaders of the Lesotho coalition government on Monday pledged to render the Southern African Development Community (SADC) full support with a view to speedily restore stability and security in the kingdom.
This followed a meeting in Pretoria between South African President Jacob Zuma and a delegation of the Lesotho coalition government cosisting of Prime Minister Thomas Thabane, Deputy Prime Minister Mothetjoa Metsing and other leaders.
Zuma, who is also Chairperson of the SADC Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation, convened the meeting Sunday evening, with the aim of finding a political solution to the Lesotho crisis following a coup on Saturday which sent Thabane into hiding in South Africa.
The meeting reviewed the political and security situation in Lesotho on which the leaders of the coalition government highlighted that the political and security situation had deteriorated which needed immediate intervention and support from the SADC, said a joint statement by the SADC Troika and leaders of the Lesotho coalition government.
According to the statement, the meeting reiterated the commitment contained in the Windhoek Declaration in which the leaders of the coalition government committed to working together to restore political normalcy, stability, law and order, peace and security in the kingdom.
In this regard, the leaders of the coalition government agreed to expeditiously implement the declaration, by removing the parliament prorogation, in particular.
They agreed on a roadmap with clear timelines on how to remove the parliament prorogation, which shall be submitted to the king.
The leaders further agreed to issue a joint statement appealing for calm and exercise restrain with a view to rapidly bring law and order back in the kingdom.
In addition, the SADC agreed to send a facilitator to Lesotho to work with the coalition government as they implement the agreed roadmap.
The SADC further agreed to deploy an Observer Team on Politics, Defence and Security as a matter of urgency.
Early Saturday morning, the Lesotho military seized the police headquarters and the Mabote police station the capital of Maseru, claiming that police officers intended to pass arms and ammunitions to Prime Minister Thabane's All Basotho convention called "Under the Tree".
The army also raided the residence of Thabane, who had fled the country to South Africa hours before the coup.
Trouble has been brewing in the kingdom since June, after Thabane dissolved parliament amid rumours that MPs were going to pass a vote of no confidence against him.
The South African government, which has exerted influence in the kingdom surrounded by South Africa, has been trying to broker a peace deal in Lesotho for more than two months.
Military coups are not uncommon in Lesotho. In March 1998 parliamentary elections in Lesotho resulted in an overwhelming majority for the ruling Lesotho Congress for Democracy Party, which won 79 out of 80 seats. However allegations of vote fraud soon surfaced, and after a failed lawsuit by the opposition parties, widespread rioting broke out.
The SADC intervened in an operation codenamed Operation Boleas, led by South Africa through its South African National Defence Force, which sent troops into Lesotho to quell an ensuing coup.
