LESOTHO JUNE 19 SITREP: GOL REVISES CURFEW

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 MASERU 000358 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS DEPT FOR DS/IP/AF, DS/IP/ITA, DS/DSS/OSAC, S/CT, D, P, M, INR, CA, AF/S; GABORONE FOR RSO E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PGOV KDEM ASEC CASC LT SUBJECT: LESOTHO JUNE 19 SITREP: GOL REVISES CURFEW REF: A) MASERU 356; B) MASERU 355; C) MASERU 351 MASERU 00000358 001.2 OF 004 ¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY: In the face of public criticism, mounting pressure from Lesotho's political opposition, and a threatened taxi strike, the nation's Police Commissioner announced on June 19 a loosening of Maseru's current 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. daily curfew to the hours of 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. Embassy Maseru's EAC met to review post's security posture in the light of relative calm the night of June 18-19, concluding that the situation had not substantially changed since the last EAC meeting (ref A). The political angle to attacks of this last week remains clear. The Police Commissioner foresees the current curfew as a temporary measure, not lasting more than a week or two, although it is highly unclear if she and the GOL can attain the goals which she sets as conditions for lifting the curfew -- the identification of the armed assailants and the seizure of their weapons. END SUMMARY. -------------- Curfew Loosened -------------- ¶2. (U) Lesotho's Commissioner of Police told diplomats late on June 19 that she had shortened Lesotho's 6:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. curfew to the hours of 8:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m., effective immediately. Embassy Maseru will maintain its current policies regarding early closing hours for LES pending a review on June 20 of the implementation of these new curfew hours. -------------- Quiet Night, Rough Checkpoints -------------- ¶3. (SBU) While the evening of June 18-19 was relatively quiet with no new incidences of attacks on GOL targets, false checkpoints, or other incidents directly effecting U.S. mission personnel, other resident diplomatic missions did corroborate reports of rough treatment of civilians by police and military forces at checkpoints around Maseru. -------------- Prime Minister in Cape Town -------------- ¶4. (U) Lesotho's Prime Minister, Pakalitha Mosisili, held previously scheduled talks with South African President Thabo Mbeki in Cape Town on June 19. The Prime Minister, joined by at �00A;least four senior GOL ministers, is maintaining his schedule for his long-planned three-day official state visit to South Africa. -------------- -- Opposition Press Conference: "Slap in the Face" -------------- -- ¶5. (U) At the end of a lengthy press conference on June 19 called by Lesotho's five leading opposition parties to address SADC mediation efforts (septel),leaders briefly addressed the current curfew. In a prepared joint statement, they concluded that the "dusk to dawn curfew is a slap in the face of Maseru residents" and that they will request that the GOL lift the curfew in order to ease tensions and level the playing field ahead of the SADC-mediated dialogue, which will resume on June ¶25. Separately, Professor Francis Makoa, head of the department of political science at the National University of Lesotho, opined during a media interview that, "I think [the curfew] is MASERU 00000358 002.2 OF 004 an attempt to suppress the civil rights of the opposition." -------------- Border Confusion -------------- ¶6. (SBU) According to Lesotho's Commissioner of Police, recent confusion regarding the status of the Lesotho-South Africa border crossing at Maseru had been resolved. The Police Commissioner stated that border policies had been clarified and that the border station would remain open on a 24-hour basis. The South African High Commission confirmed this status to Charge. -------------- Little Info From GOL, Except Police Contact -------------- ¶7. (SBU) Despite his assurances to the diplomatic corps (ref C), Deputy Prime Minister Lehohla has not publicly commented on the curfew. The sole public GOL statement regarding the situation remains the curfew announcements by the Commissioner of Police. However, Lesotho's MFA did provide diplomatic missions on June 19 with a police contact to serve as a "focal point for diplomatic missions and international organizations" during the curfew. This contact was identified as Assistant Commissioner Kholokholo at the Lesotho Mounted Police Headquarters. -------------- Law Society to Challenge Curfew -------------- ¶8. (U) The Lesotho Law Society (equivalent to the American Bar Association) has filed a case at the nation's High Court challenging the legality of the curfew. The government's curfew is based on a 1991 Internal Security Order which was issued by the military government of that era. The Law Society maintains that the current curfew order is inconsistent with the 1993 Constitution, which restored democratic rule in Lesotho. -------------- Embassy Surveillance Detection Contractor Released -------------- ¶9. (SBU) The Lesotho Defense Forces (LDF) released Embassy Maseru's contract surveillance detection team leader Motlalentoa Kopo from military custody on June 19 after being detained on June 18. After previously denying that Mr. Kopo, a former military officer, was in custody, military sources stated that they had detained Kopo because he attended an ABC political opposition meeting at which participants allegedly discussed taking up arms against the GOL. Mr. Kopo denies participating in any such meeting. His detention, however, corresponds with senior GOL officials who have told diplomats that they suspect current and former military officers are tied to a spate of recent violent attacks on GOL officials. According to senior level GOL authorities, the LDF Commander, invoking military provisions, had at least five active duty LDF officers arrested in connection with the recent violence primarily for dereliction of duty, but under suspicion of closer involvement in the attacks. MASERU 00000358 003.2 OF 004 -------------- Taxi Strike Threat -------------- ¶10. (U) Harvest FM, an opposition-oriented private radio station in Maseru, reported that seven taxi associations wrote a letter to the Commissioner of Police demanding that the curfew be lifted by 12:00 p.m. on June 20, 2007; otherwise, they will not release their vehicles to transport residents of Maseru. This move by taxi associations on June 19, many of which are strongly associated with opposition parties, has the potential to disrupt public transport in the capital. The Police Commissioner, however, told Charge on June 19 that she was confident the revised curfew hours would alleviate the taxi operators' concerns and that they would not strike. -------------- EAC Meeting -------------- ¶11. (SBU) Embassy Maseru's EAC convened at 11:00 a.m. on June 19 to review the mission's security posture. The EAC agreed that the situation had not substantially changed since the last EAC meeting on June 18 (ref A) which assessed the situation as stable but increasingly tense. Embassy Maseru's local guard force personnel have been briefed on the security situation. The Embassy's security contractor has not experienced major problems providing security to the Embassy compound or residences as result of the curfew. The movement of surveillance detection teams has been slightly restricted, but this has not led to degradation of post's security posture. The consular section reported that there have been no incidents of American citizens in distress, and that several AmCits had recently registered or made inquiries regarding the current situation. -------------- Peace Corps Vehicle Recovered -------------- ¶12. (SBU) On June 19, authorities returned a Peace Corps vehicle which was carjacked on the evening of June 17 (ref A) to Peace Corps custody. According to senior police officials, the armed assailants who seized this vehicle were likely the same as those who shot Lesotho's Deputy Police Commissioner on the same evening. -------------- GOL Functioning Normally, Tensions Stabilizing? -------------- ¶13. (SBU) COMMENT: During the last 24 hours, tensions have not escalated in Lesotho but the situation remains unpredictable. Despite the alarmist statements of the Deputy Prime Minister regarding alleged coup plots (ref C),it does not appear that the perpetrators of recent attacks pose a threat to the GOL's immediate ability to govern. Nonetheless, the attacks of this last week do appear to be of a political, rather than simply criminal, nature. The Police Commissioner foresees the current curfew as a temporary measure, not lasting more than a week or two, although it is highly unclear if she and the GOL can attain the goals which she sets as conditions for lifting the curfew -- MASERU 00000358 004.2 OF 004 the identification of the armed assailants and the seizure of their weapons. END COMMENT. MURPHY