Leaders from the Southern African Development Community (SADC) have converged in Botswana for a summit aimed at taking stock of the situation in Lesotho, reports said on Tuesday .
According to the SABC, the summit was set to follow up on previous recommendations by the commission tasked with the political instability in Lesotho since 2014.
Lesotho’s former prime minister, Tom Thabane, made strong allegations that there were attempts at the time to overthrow his government. Violence erupted soon after, causing chaos in the country. This resulted in politicians and members of the defence force fleeing.
The summit, which was attended by six member states – Botswana, South Africa, Tanzania, Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Swaziland – aimed at making a follow-up on the implementation and recommendations of the commission that was tasked with investigating the instability that dogged the mountain kingdom.
In January, the SADC Double Troika summit noted with concern that Lesotho had not undertaken the constitutional, public sector and security sector reforms, The Daily News reported.
Lesotho was therefore urged, together with all political stakeholders to actively contribute to a conducive environment that encouraged democracy and allowed the safe return of opposition leaders who were still in exile.
According to The Herald, the summit also aimed at thwarting any lingering regional security threats.
