Southern African states call for urgent action to normalize situation in Lesotho

The Southern African Development Community (SADC) on Monday urged stakeholders in Lesotho to normalize the situation in the kingdom.

A SADC fact-finding mission made the appeal after Lesotho's former Commander Maaparankoe Mahao was shot dead by soldiers last week, sparking fears for a security crisis.

South African President Jacob Zuma, in his capacity as the Chair of the SADC Organ on Politics, Defense and Security Cooperation, launched the fact-finding mission following Mahao's death.

The mission met with Lesotho's King Letsie III, government officials, opposition leaders, security institutions and church leaders.

The mission, led by South African Defense Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, stressed the need to introduce security reforms to avoid an escalation of tensions.

Mapisa-Nqakula said she believed that it has become even more urgent to introduce the security reforms so that they ensure accountability of the organs of state, to parliament, to the executive and to the population of the kingdom of Lesotho.

Lesotho's Minister of Defense Tseliso Mokhosi said the government will convene a court martial to determine the innocence of all the mutiny suspects involved in the killing of Mahao.