Between August and September, soldiers from the Lesotho Defence Forces (LDF) allegedly killed at least two civilians and tortured at least five others, as part of an ongoing operation to confiscate firearms from criminal gangs. ‘Operation Hard Fist’ was launched earlier in 2024 in response to an increase in gun-related violence in Lesotho, but it has been marred by reports of human rights abuses, including arbitrary detention, torture and killings. The incidents follow a speech made by Prime Minister Sam Matekane in early August, in which he urged the deputy army commander to ‘do everything in your power to ensure that peace returns to Lesotho’ – although he subsequently clarified that it was not a call for the army to torture and kill civilians. Opposition parties and civil society organisations have condemned the deployment of the LDF, saying it threatened civil liberties.   

Sources: Lesotho Times (1), Amnesty International, News 24, Lesotho Times (2)

Ombudswoman Tlotliso Polaki published a report on 19 March that detailed the findings of an investigation into allegations that prisoners were abused at the Maseru Correctional Centre Institution in December 2023. The Ombudswoman’s investigation found that prison staff, and notably trainees of the Lesotho Correctional Service, intentionally provoked a confrontation with inmates. On 21 December six inmates at the facility escaped. The following day, prison officials arranged a search of the facility. The Ombudswoman found that the search was intentionally aggressive in order to provoke fights with inmates, and that 300 of the 650 inmates were beaten. The Ombudsman’s report further identified an orchestrated effort to conceal the abuse and a denial of medical care to those who had been injured. 

Sources: Ombudsman of Lesotho, African Legal Information Institute, Lesotho News Agency, News24 

On 16 October, the heads of three of Lesotho’s security agencies issued a public statement warning the political opposition not to carry out a planned parliamentary vote of no-confidence against the country’s Prime Minister, Sam Matekane. In oblique language, they stated that they would not allow Matekane’s government to be removed from office in this way, raising fears the military has returned to Lesotho’s politics (the country has a history of coups d’état). The Transformation Resource Centre, a civil society organisation, said it was ‘concerned at the intrusion of security institutions in the legitimate political process and governance.’ Opposition parties warned of a coup threat and claimed that politicians linked to the vote of confidence were being harassed by the security agencies. On 31 October, Prime Minster Matekane secured the support of a new coalition partner which gave him a parliamentary majority and thereby diminished the prospect of a no-confidence vote.     

Sources: News 24 (1), Lesotho Times, Daily Maverick, Transformation Resource Centre, News 24 (2)

Lesotho held its general election on 7 October. Of the 65 political parties that contested the election, the newly formed Revolution for Prosperity (RFP) party emerged with the largest presence in the National Assembly, the lower house of Lesotho’s Parliament, winning 56 of the 120 seats - members of Lesotho’s upper house, the Senate, are not elected. The RFP’s failure to win a majority of seats meant they have had to form a coalition government with the Alliance of Democrats and the Movement for Economic Change. The government is headed by RFP’s leader, Sam Matekane, who was sworn in as Prime Minister on 28 October. Voter turnout was 34.7 per cent, 9.0 per cent lower than in the last general election in 2017. The preliminary findings of international observers praised the elections for being well run and peaceful, but raised concerns about poorly regulated campaign finance, a lack of independent information, and the low representation of women (they accounted for just 33.0 per cent of candidates).

Sources: EU, AU, The Commonwealth, Lesotho Times, The Conversation, International IDEA, Government of Lesotho