About Lesotho

The Kingdom of Lesotho is a landlocked country that is entirely surrounded by South Africa. It has a population of 2,285,392 million (2018) and a total area of 30,000 sq. km. Maseru is the largest city and capital. The country is part of the Commonwealth of Nations. Approximately 40 percent of the people in Lesotho live below the poverty line.

History

Khoisan hunters were the first inhabitants of the area and were later replaced by Wasja-speaking tribes during the time of the Bantu migrations. Between the 3rd and 11th centuries, the Sotho-Tswana people colonized the South African region.

Lesotho was an entity under the Great King Moshoeshoe I in 1822. He formed his own clan and became its chief in 1804. He and his followers settled at the Butha-Buthe Mountain between 1821 and 1823. His clan joined with former adversaries against the Lifaqane from 1818 to 1828.

Following the Cape Colony’s seizure by the British in 1795, evolution of Lesotho hinged on the outcome of conflicts between the British and Dutch colonists. Eugene Casalis, a missionary invited by Moshoeshoe I, acted as a translator for foreign affairs. He helped set up diplomacy and acquired weapons for use against Europeans.

Boer trekkers from the Cape Colony arrived in the area and claimed land rights. More farmers arrived and tried to colonize the area, claiming it had been abandoned by the Sotho people. The British signed a treaty with Moshoeshoe annexing the territory that the Boers had settled. A brief skirmish in 1848 led to the Boers’ suppression. The Sotho army defeated the British in 1851. Moshoeshoe repelled another British attack in 1852 and appealed to the commander to settle the dispute diplomatically.

In 1854, the British withdrew. In 1858, Moshoeshoe fought the Boers in the Free State-Basotho War, losing a portion of the western lands. In 1867, Moshoeshoe ended the last war by appealing to Queen Victoria, who agreed to make Lesotho into a protectorate of the British. The British later signed a treaty with the Boers to define the areas boundaries. These agreements cost Moshoeshoe half his kingdom.

Moshoeshoe died in 1870, which marked the colonial era’s beginning. During British rule between 1871 and 1884, Lesotho was treated similarly to forcefully annexed colonies. In 1881, this led to the Gun War. In 1884 Lesotho again became a Crown colony with Maseru as its capital. While traditional chiefs wielded internal power, the colony was under direct control of a governor.

In 1966, Lesotho gained independence from Britain. In 1970 the ruling Basotho National Party (BNP) lost the first general elections after independence. Prime Minister Leabua Jonathan refused to hand power over to the Basotho Congress Party (BCP) and imprisoned its leadership.

A rebellion then began and the BCP were trained in Libya to become the Lesotho Liberation Army (LLA). This was done under the pretext that they were soldiers of the Pan-African Congress (PAC) The Sibeko faction of the PAC deprived them of supplies in 1978, leading the LLA to be rescued from their base in Tanzania. The war was launched with outdated weapons. The attacks were sporadic and ineffective.

From 1966 to 1970, the BNO ruled Lesotho. A de facto government was led by Dr. Leabua Jonathan until 1986 when he was forced out by a military coup. King Moshoeshoe II was given executive powers by the military council. After putting forth proposals to give him more power in 1987, the king was forced out. His son, King Letsie III, was installed to replace him.

The junta’s leader, Major General Justin Metsing Lekhanya, was deposed in 1991 and Major General Elias Phisoana Ramaema took power.

Letsie III staged a coup in 1994 that deposed the BCP government. The international community did not fully recognize the new government. After negotiations, the BCP was reinstated and Letsie III stepped down in favor of his father in 1995. When Moshoeshoe II died, Letsie II against ascended the throne.

Leadership disputes split the BCP in 1997. Ntsu Mokhehle formed a new party named the Lesotho Congress for Democracy (LCD), which enabled him to form a new government. In 1998, the LCD won the general elections. Despite being recognized as free and fair by international organizations, the opposition rejected the results.

Opposition protest began and culminated in a demonstration outside the royal palace in 1998. Rioting intensified when South African troops raised the South African flag over the palace. When South African forces withdrew in 1999, several cities were in ruins and many South Africans and Basotho had died.

In 1998, an Interim Political Authority (IPA) was set up to review the country’s electoral structure. A new electoral system was arranged to ensure the opposition would be represented in the National Assembly. The original 80 Assembly seats remained, but 40 new ones would be filled on a proportional basis. In 2002, new elections were held with the LCD winning again. The opposition did win a significant number of seats.