Africa-Press – Lesotho. LESOTHO is mulling withdrawing soldiers it sent to quell an Islamic insurgency in Mozambique. Finance Minister Thabo Sophonea said last Thursday that Lesotho was broke and was struggling to keep up with the financial commitments of the campaign.
His disclosure came after SADC extended the mission in Mozambique indefinitely. Sophonea, who was part of the Lesotho delegation at the SADC summit in Malawi, said Lesotho did not have any problem with the decision except that the country was struggling financially.
The meeting was intended to review the progress and mission of the SADC force in Mozambique. The summit resolved to extend the mission in Mozambique saying the rebels were still to be defeated completely.
Sophonea said even though the decision to extend the mission was reached at the summit, the country was struggling to keep the troops in Mozambique unless it gets some support.
“This issue of the extension will be discussed together with the Prime Minister after I present the report to him,” Sophonea said.
He said they will look more at the budget. “The government will then pronounce if we are continuing or stopping because we are struggling,” he said. He said Lesotho did not have a problem with the extension but would need financial support.
“We need to ensure that the troops are mentally stable,” he said. He indicated that they do not mind the extension just that they “do not want to make the country suffer”.
Sophonea said the summit also discussed at length the issue of relieving the current contingent for the sake of their sanity but could not reach a conclusion.
He said they also discussed ways to boost the weakened economy and social reconstruction of Cabo Delgado Province through the assistance of international partners.
“We tried to find out how international partners can contribute and the summit accepted that an international conference should be called,” he said. He said those interested would be expected to lend a helping hand.
Meanwhile, SADC chairman Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera said they took a bold and decisive step to extend the mission in Mozambique so that they are able to consolidate the gains they have made so far.
He was speaking at the extraordinary summit of SADC heads of states and government that was held in Malawi last week. He said their past extraordinary meeting in June approved the deployment and support of the SADC standby force on the mission to Mozambique.
He said the mandate of the deployment of the soldiers is supporting Mozambique in combating terrorism and acts of violent extremism in Cabo Delgado until the terrorist threat is neutralised and security is restored. He said their second mandate is to strengthen and maintain peace and security through the restoration of law and order in Cabo Delgado.
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