Pretoria - The Southern African Development Community (SADC) has resolved to assist Lesotho in implementing security sector and constitutional reforms.
A SADC appointed committee, which will include representatives from the SADC Troika, will oversee this implementation which is seen as a major step to ensuring political stability in the mountain kingdom.
The SADC Troika is made up of the Botswana, Mozambique, South Africa, Swaziland, Zimbabwe and Tanzania.
The committee, which is set to visit Lesotho periodically, will report to the SADC Heads of State Summit, in August.
“The summit approved a team comprising experts from Double Troika Member States to support the Kingdom of Lesotho in preparations for, and holding of the technical workshop on security sector reforms, as well as preparations of the road map for constitutional reforms and implementations thereof,” the Troika said in a communique after their extraordinary meeting, which was held in Gaborone, on Tuesday.
The mountain kingdom is yet to implement the recommendations of a commission that probed the violence that erupted following a failed coup in 2014, as well as the killing of the former Lesotho army General Maaparankoe Mahao.
The summit called on Lesotho to ensure that constitutional and security sector reforms process is comprehensively inclusive, involving all stakeholders in the kingdom.
The Troika also urged Lesotho to develop a comprehensive road map with clear time frames in relation to the responses given.
“The summit approved the terms of reference (ToRs) for the oversight committee, as an early warning mechanism that will also provide assistance in the implementation of the constitutional, security and public sector reforms. Summit directed the secretariat to immediately operationalize the Oversight Committee, which will be headed by Mozambique in her capacity as the Chairperson of the Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation.”
Further, the summit called upon the opposition leaders in exile to return by the end of August in order to facilitate participation in ongoing reforms.
In view of the foregoing, the summit directed the Double Troika, supported by Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa, who is the SADC facilitator, to assist on their return and report progress to the next Summit which will be held in August. – SAnews.gov.za
