ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT: MEDIA REVIEW

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 MASERU 000165

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR AF/S, DS/IP/AF, AND INR/AF
CAPE TOWN FOR SEEKER

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV ASEC LT
SUBJECT: ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT: MEDIA REVIEW

REF: A) Maseru 158 and previous B) Maseru 142 C) Maseru 123

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Summary
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1. In the May 14-20 issue of "The Monitor" weekly newspaper, a
well-respected local columnist asks the question: "Is Lesotho a
fertile breeding ground for international terrorism?" His
points echo some of the Embassy's own concerns about security in
the country, most forcefully brought to light by the involvement
of foreigners in the recent attempted assassination of Prime
Minister Pakalitha Mosisili. Last week's "Lesotho Times" front
page headlines stated: "Mosisili Attack: Two ABC supporters
arrested". This is just the latest of many articles over the
past three weeks which have attempted to shed some light on the
events that transpired during the early morning hours of April
22, 2009, at the Prime Minister's residence. While all
newspapers, radio and television coverage have carried a similar
version of the facts of the event, theories as to the
perpetrators and possible suspects have been varied, and no one
in the media seems to have any reliable source within the
government of clear-cut information which could identify either
culprit, motive, or opportunity.

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Should we be worried about Al Qaeda in this tiny country?
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2. Monday's article in "The Monitor" was written by one of
Lesotho's most experienced columnists. He is known to be an
independent thinker, a staunch supporter of freedom of the
press. The article is an opinion piece, pointing out first that
Lesotho has all the prerequisites for facilitating the growth of
terrorist elements, such as "porous borders, corrupt, and easily
bribed immigration officials, and a security/legal system with
numerous loopholes." He stresses that in this "post-Cold War
world", anti-West and anti-capitalist entities such as Al Qaeda
have focused their fight on the United States alone,
concentrating their efforts against the world's "only
superpower." He insinuates that those involved in the attacks
on the Prime Minister's residence might have a grudge against
the government of Lesotho (GOL) because of their belief in a
democratic system of government, and their status as a "lackey"
of "their big brother America." He states: "Lesotho's
receiving of the $2.5 (sic) billion aid package from the
Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) which is a body in the US
that promotes democracy has not gone down well with some of
these terrorist groupings." (Note: Lesotho is receiving MCC
funding in the amount of $362.6 million and it appears likely
that the newspaper's misinformation resulted from confusing the
dollar amount and the rand amount. End note.)


3. In answer to the title question of whether or not Lesotho is
fertile breeding ground for terrorists, the author gives a
resounding yes. According to him, anyone can get in, and this
is evidenced by the incursion - all the way up to the gates of
the Prime Minister's residence - of South African and Mozambican
"terrorists" on the night of April 22 (ref A). He then mentions
the fact that citizens of Lesotho and Swaziland can no longer
travel freely to Britain, and asserts that the CIA, MI5, and
others have found international terrorists and Al Qaeda
operatives traveling under Lesotho passports. He also mentioned
that one Al Qaeda operative of Sudanese origin - associated with
the 9/11 attacks, and eventually imprisoned at Guantanamo Bay -
had worked for one of Lesotho's flying services as a pilot.
According to the article, high ranking government officials are
aware of passport and document fraud facilitated by bribery with
the Home Affairs department, and Foreign Minister Tsekoa
commented that both the GOL and the South African government are
prioritizing these border problems and said that "very soon the
whole cacophony of illicit crossing will come to an `ungentle'
stop."


4. Finally, he blames a string of unsolved cases for damaging
the credibility of Lesotho's judicial system, stating that one
of those cases involved an American citizen. (Note: The
murdered Clinton Foundation employee he referred to was not an
American citizen.) In regard to that death he says: "When it
comes to the death of their citizens Americans especially the
CIA have a very long memory." He says that when a terrorist
finds out about Lesotho's flawed security and legal systems, and
know that they can enter the country easily, they deduce that
they can "come into the country, fulfill whatever nefarious
mission they are on and walk away freely without apprehension."
He doesn't think that the police would catch them, and if they
did, he feels certain that the sentence would be light, if not
non-existent. He mentions a case of sedition where the
defendant was sentenced to pay a $20 fine.


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5. Comment: Post agrees with the journalist on many points.
The borders are porous, documents are not secure, and the
justice system is flawed. However, facing an HIV/AIDS pandemic
(the third highest infection rate in the world),unemployment of
about 50%, and extreme poverty for much of the population, the
GOL is strapped for money, and it is likely that the GOL would
need help from other countries if it decided to really tackle
the border issue and crack down on illegal entry. End comment.

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A game of connect the dots: Is this a repeat of 2007?
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6. Some Embassy sources are concerned at what looks like a
return to the apparently random searches of opposition leaders'
homes that was a prevalent feature of police action in the
aftermath of the 2007 elections in the kingdom. The two ABC
supporters mentioned in the Lesotho Times headline were arrested
in their homes last Friday. (Note: The All Basotho Convention
(ABC) is the main opposition party in Lesotho, the only real
contender against the ruling Lesotho Congress for Democracy
(LCD) party. End Note.) According to the paper, Dan Masia was
at his home at 6:30 am in the morning when six armed Special
Support Unit (SSU) police officers arrived, wearing civilian
clothes, saying that they were searching for illegal arms.
Although they did not present a search warrant, Masia allowed
them to search his home.


7. Six heavily armed officers had appeared earlier, at 4:45 am
Friday morning, at the home of Katiso Phasumane. This group of
officers did have a search warrant. Following the searches,
both men were questioned as to their whereabouts leading up to
the April 22 attacks, and officers insinuated that Phasumane and
Masia might have been involved. The SSU Station Commander
responded to the paper's report by stating that "the two had
been arrested because their names kept coming up during the
interrogation of other suspects connected to the attack on the
State House."

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Some suggest that the ruling party is responsible for the attacks
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8. In a surprise move, Ratabane "Candy" Ramainoane, the
editor-in-chief and sole proprietor of a local weekly
Sesotho-language newspaper, "MoAfrika", argued that the
responsibility for the April 22 attacks lies with Prime Minister
Mosisili himself. Ramainoane, a strong supporter of the LCD and
known foe of opposition leader Tom Thabane, stated in
"MoAfrika's" April 24 issue, "Mosisili o jeoa ke linta tsa kobo
ea hae", directly translated: "Mosisili is being bitten by lice
from his own blanket". In other words, "the Prime Minister has
dug his own grave."


9. Ramainoane added that although Lesotho citizens have
different theories about the April 22 attacks, the general
feeling is that Mosisili invited the South African army to take
charge of the country's security in 1998, and therefore, foreign
troops got to know all the Lesotho Defense Force (LDF) secrets,
strategic bases, and what kind of weapons they carry. According
to Ramainoane, rumors are floating that Mosisili's ex-right hand
man, who has since left the government, still has a loyal
following in the security establishment. (Comment: Ramainoane
does not mention by name the "ex-right hand man", but the
general public is aware that he is referring to opposition
leader Thabane. End comment.) The editor further claims that
the afore-mentioned individual has followers in the LDF, the
Lesotho Mounted Police Service, the National Security Service,
and others. Ramainoane advises Mosisili that officers in the
security service who are still close to Thabane, are telling the
Prime Minister lies, and should be gotten rid of.


10. Comment: By urging Mosisili to throw away his blanket, it
seems that Ramainoane is advocating for a cabinet reshuffle and
the appointment of new heads of the disciplined, security and
correctional services, who would be loyal to the LCD and not to
Thabane. End Comment.

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Are old friends being used against the ABC?
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11. The Lesotho Monitor May 7 headline reads: "Imigris
renounce Tom Thabane." Tom Thabane is the leader of the ABC
party. The three imigris mentioned in the headline used to work
for him as bodyguards. The trio fled Lesotho in 2007 in fear of
retaliation for their alleged role in post-election violence,
including attacks on ministers' homes, and they returned to

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Lesotho just weeks before the April 22 attacks. On May 4, the
three men called a press conference to vent their frustration at
not having received more support from Thabane during their exile
(ref B). The three men scoffed at the idea that Makotoko
Lerotholi, one of the only publicly-named suspects in the April
22 attacks, could have been involved. According to them,
Lerotholi was much too ill to take part in such a plot.


12. Comment: Rumors about Lerotholi's involvement in the
assassination attempt appear to have been confirmed by his
recent arrest in South Africa (ref A). End Comment.

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The Lesotho Monitor ponders attacks; urges government to act
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13. In other stories, the Monitor reported that the two
suspects held in custody in Lesotho in connection with the April
22 attacks have been remanded to custody until their cases are
heard on May 18 by the Maseru Magistrate. The two applied for
bail, which was denied for reasons of national security. The
report indicates that investigations have still not revealed the
exact number of arms and ammunition still missing from the LDF
armory. Army spokesmen say they are puzzled at how the
attackers gained access to the armory, and investigations are
still ongoing. In reaction to the attacks and the arrest of the
two suspects (one from Mozambique and the other from South
Africa),Lesotho has welcomed police officers from both
Mozambique and South Africa, as well as officers from the
International Criminal Police Organisation (INTERPOL) based in
France. In a separate article, the High Commissioners from
Mozambique and South Africa pledge that their countries are
committed to assisting Lesotho with its investigations, saying
that anyone who is involved with the attacks should be arrested.


14. Three op-ed pieces in the same edition condemn the attacks,
bemoaning the ease with which residents and non-residents of the
Kingdom have recently taken up guns to try to settle some sort
of score. One editorial insinuates that a politician must be
behind the April 22 attacks. It also refers to the subsequent
and unrelated killing of Member of Parliament and political
party leader Motikoe (ref C),stating that: "However one may be
aggrieved or feel wronged, it is always better to pause and act
from logic and not too much emotion. It is difficult to do so,
but life is too precious to erase it on the spur of the moment."
Another editorial lists several high-profile unsolved murder
and attempted murder cases and express regret that Lesotho
rarely solves these politically-motivated crimes. The author
states that Lesotho is "becoming a mafia kingdom with godfathers
and what have you." They encourage the government to redouble
their efforts to identify and punish perpetrators.

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Popular paper covers imigris and the "attack" on Lesotho High
Commission
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15. The most widely-read and distributed local paper, "Public
Eye", published a story on May 8 about the imigris' return. In
it, Tom Thabane, the ABC leader, refuses to respond to the
trio's accusations. He says: "It only shows to what extent we
have come as a nation in terms of moral degeneration." The
article recalls the reasons that lead up to the groups'
self-imposed exile, and mentioned that though they have never
been charged with a crime, they are required to report to the
police daily. According to the paper, the Assistant
Commissioner of police requested this condition for the imigris
own safety. A comic in the May 8 edition depicts two of the
imigris holding a press conference. One says: "It's so nice to
be back home." The other: "Life in exile was a nightmare!"
Beside them is the Police Headquarters and a member of the
Lesotho Mounted Police Service saying: "We have never been
interested in you." An accompanying editorial encourages the
government to charge the men or leave them alone.


16. Another article in the paper reported the Foreign
Minister's account of an attack against the Lesotho High
Commission Residence in Pretoria. (Note: Embassy Maseru had
learned days prior to the May 8 edition of the paper that in
fact, no attack had happened. Embassy sources revealed that a
guard at the residence had injured himself when he accidentally
discharged his weapon. End Note.) Other articles in the paper
covered the aftermath of the April 22 attacks on the Prime
Minister. In one, the LCD National Executive Committee said
that the attacks were an attempt to "eliminate our leader and to
plunge the country into bloody instability." The article also

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repeated the governments' claim that the attacks are likely the
acts of the same people who attacked ministers' residences in

2007. The LCD National Committee thanked "all who clamped down
on the malicious attempt, including the army, the police and the
intelligence officers." Another article carried a large photo
of the bullet-ridden taxi which had been hijacked by the
attackers. It recapped the events of April 22 and reviewed the
two suspects' first appearance in court.


17. The May 8th edition of "Public Eye" carried a two-page
center spread entitled: "Govt's coup claims leave many
questions unanswered." The paper, often openly critical of the
ruling party, derides the government's theories on the attack
and its choice of suspects. It states that in the case of prime
suspect Lerotholi, "the police have still not given identity of
informants who allegedly sighted" him, "nor are they making any
claim of first-hand sighting of the man by their own
operatives." They end the article by returning to the sticky
issue of negotiations following the 2007 elections, stating
that, "We now know that the Masire process was subverted by the
ruling party and government telling the mediator that he was no
longer welcome to convene a final all-party workshop on the
seats controversy." The paper invites the public to "judge for
themselves" the government's motivation in inviting the media to
defend democracy and kick-starting a series of nationwide
rallies about the subject.


18. Finally, a letter to the editor by a local citizen gets
right to the point that the Embassy has also been asking itself.
Entitled "Who would benefit if Mosisili dies?" the letter makes
the point that: "Only a fool can believe that Lesotho's
opposition, or any opposition anywhere in this world would
benefit anything from the assassination of the Prime Minister.
In fact, they would be the most stupid opposition to ever harbor
such thinking. Opposition can only benefit from a fully-fledged
coup that replaces the cabinet, not a single member of the
cabinet since they can only replace the government and not an
individual. If a prime minister dies today, only members of his
party would benefit as he would be replaced by a member of the
party, not anybody from the opposition.
NOLAN