The Political History of Military-Induced Conflict and Instability in Lesotho and Its Economic and Developmental Implications

Abstract

The military has for a long time been used to crush dissent and to silence and stifle democratic principles in Lesotho. This small enclave country (fully surrounded by South Africa) has had, since 1966, a history of political instability, mainly triggered by skewed civil-military relations. This has impacted negatively on its economic growth and development. The central argument of this article is that stagnant and even regressive socio-economic development in Lesotho has a strong correlation with the untenable political situation, fuelled by the involvement of the military in politics. It has been found that Lesotho’s military is too entrapped, like many militaries in Africa, in the post-colonial “colonial” mentality in that it is too inward-looking and therefore sees and treats its own citizens as enemies instead of allies. The incidence of human rights abuses and meddling by the Lesotho Defence Force (LDF) in civilian matters is staggering. Fundamentally, these are institutional problems that warrant an overhaul of the entire system of governance, beginning with radical amendments to the constitution. To this end, various reforms have been suggested by civil society organisations and political parties, including constitutional reforms, security sector reforms, electoral reforms, and many others. If these reforms could be implemented, Lesotho might transition into a stable, peaceful, and developmental state in the southern African region.