ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT: FOREIGN MINISTER INDIRECTLY

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 MASERU 000126

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR AF/S, DS/IP/AF, DS/IP/ITA, AND DS/DSS/CC
PRETORIA FOR DATT

E.O. 12958: DECL: 4/29/2019
TAGS: PGOV PREL ASEC LT
SUBJECT: ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT: FOREIGN MINISTER INDIRECTLY
IMPLICATES OPPOSITION

REF: A. MASERU 116 B. MASERU 123 C. MASERU 112 AND PREVIOUS

MASERU 00000126 001.2 OF 002


CLASSIFIED BY: Elizabeth C. Power, Deputy Chief of Mission.
REASON: 1.4 (b),(d)
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Summary
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1. (C) The Minister of Foreign Affairs briefed heads of
diplomatic missions on the ongoing investigation into last
week's attempt to assassinate the Prime Minister, and later gave
the same briefing in a joint press conference with the High
Commissioners of Mozambique and South Africa. Although much of
the briefings revolved around information already released by
the police, Tsekoa also discussed the murder of local politician
Dominic Motikoe and, for the first time, admitted that someone
within the Lesotho Defense Force (LDF) must have been involved
in planning and carrying out the attack. He continued to point
the finger at the political opposition as having masterminded
the assassination attempt, but the South African High
Commissioner cast doubt on these assertions.

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Foreign Minister Implicates Opposition With Dip Corps
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2. (C) Minister of Foreign Affairs Kenneth Tsekoa briefed
heads of diplomatic missions on Tuesday, April 28; present at
the briefing were ambassadors from China and Ireland, the South
African High Commissioner, the UN Resident Coordinator, the
charge d'affaires from the European Union, and post's CDA.
Tsekoa read from a prepared statement (copy received by post)
that contained information already made public by the Lesotho
Mounted Police Service (ref A). The seven attackers in custody
in South Africa will face weapons charges there, and then the
GOL will attempt to extradite them. He emphasized the good
cooperation Lesotho had received from the South African Police
Service and stated that Mozambican police and Interpol agents
were also present in Lesotho to assist with the GOL's ongoing
investigation into the attack on the Prime Minister. At several
points during this statement, he referred to the attackers as
"insurgents" and "terrorists." The statement did not make any
assertion about who might have been responsible for the attack.
Tsekoa's statement also briefly mentioned the April 27 murder of
politician Dominic Motikoe, noting that the alleged murderer was
already in police custody (ref B). When answering a question
posed by the Irish ambassador, Tsekoa did state that there were
many unanswered questions regarding the attackers information
about and access to the Makoanyane military barracks; he noted
that the LDF leadership was conducting its own internal
investigation, as it appeared that someone from within the
military must have been involved in the attack.


3. (C) In an open discussion with the diplomatic
representatives, Tsekoa made several references that appeared to
implicate the opposition party All Basotho Convention (ABC). In
relation to Motikoe's murder, he stated that although the GOL
did not know if there was any political connection in his
killing, "the proximity in time [to the assassination attempt]
is suggestive" of political motive. He also outlined a brief
history of the SADC mediation addressing the disputes over
alliances and the allocation of seats in parliament following
the 2007 election, saying that "these things tend to connect" to
current events. In addition, he spoke several times of Makotoko
Lerotholi (ref A),ABC leader Tom Thabane's former bodyguard,
saying that Lerotholi was seen at Makoayane barracks and that he
had told the LDF soldiers taken hostage, "I'm not after you - I
want the head of the PM."

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South African High Commissioner Challenges GOL Theory
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4. (C) During the discussion with Tsekoa, the South African
High Commissioner asked him directly how Lerotholi, who is "old
and sick," could possibly have been involved in the attacks.
Tsekoa did not answer this question, simply brushing it aside
with a laugh and saying that he was old, too, but could still
run. Following the meeting, the South African High Commissioner
told the other diplomatic representatives that he was not afraid
to speak his mind when the GOL appeared to be fingering the
political opposition without cause. He stated that he had seen
Lerotholi in the hospital, and that given Lerotholi's poor
condition, he could not have been involved in the attack. The
High Commissioner also stated that in a briefing that morning
with a South African military intelligence team, here to assist
with the investigation, he had told them, "You may be fed
information to force you to look in a particular direction

MASERU 00000126 002.2 OF 002


during the investigation, but you must keep an open mind and
really look at the evidence."

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Press Conference Repeats Same Dynamic
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5. (C) Today's press conference included Tsekoa's delivery of
the same prepared statement. He was joined by the Minister in
the Prime Minister's office, Motloheloa Phooko, the High
Commissioner of Mozambique (visiting from Pretoria),and the
South African High Commissioner. The Mozambican High
Commissioner pledged to cooperate with the GOL in the spirit of
solidarity, to bring the "commander in chief" of the attack to
justice, while the South African High Commissioner carefully
said that when the GOL could provide "hard evidence" of the
involvement of any South African resident in the attack, the
South African government would be happy to cooperate by handing
over suspects. In response to a question about the political
opposition, Tsekoa said that it was "unwise to speculate about
Party X or Party Y," but that the GOL would share information
once its investigation was complete.

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Comment
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6. (C) The South African High Commissioner's open doubt of
the GOL theories made for some unexpected tension and confirms
other speculation post has heard about Lerotholi's condition.
Tsekoa's implications about the opposition's involvement are not
surprising, but without any further insight into the GOL's
investigation, it's difficult to say how credible they might be.
POWER