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dam-l SA secures LHWP dam site/LS
This is off the CNN web site; note the reference to the troops securing the
dam site.
5 dead as S. African troops intervene
in Lesotho
September 22, 1998
Web posted at: 11:18 a.m. EDT (1118 GMT)
MASERU, Lesotho (AP) -- South African
troops crossed into Lesotho at dawn Tuesday to
quell weeks of anarchy. They secured two army
bases and the royal palace after heavy fighting in
which three soldiers died, the South African
military said.
Protesters firebombed government buildings,
looters were rampaging through downtown and
cars with South African license plates were being
stoned, reports said.
At least five South African soldiers were killed
and at least nine wounded, the military said.
The action, post-apartheid South Africa's first major
military intervention, follows weeks of opposition
party demonstrations over allegations of
election-rigging and an army rebellion that had
effectively paralyzed the government in this tiny
mountain country.
Lesotho, a poor kingdom of 2 million people, is
entirely surrounded by South Africa and dependent on
its neighbor's economy.
The troops, backed by eight helicopters, battled
Lesotho army soldiers siding with the opposition at the
royal palace, South African Broadcasting Corp. radio
said.
There also was heavy gunfire at the main army
barracks and the high court building, and other
structures were firebombed, SABC said.
An SABC
cameraman also was injured, and
four Lesotho
soldiers were led away as
prisoners,
SABC radio said.
American
citizens -- who number about 60 or 70
in Maseru out
of 300 in the country -- were told
to stay
indoors, said Ambassador Katherine
Peterson.
"There are
roving bands of protesters who are
out and about
who are targeting South
Africans,"
she said, a worry for Americans
because most
have South African license plates.
It was not
immediately known if other
embassies had
issued similar warnings to their
nationals.
The intervention force secured two Lesotho military
bases near the capital, as well as a dam
project, the South African military said.
Flights halted
Flights to Maseru airport were halted. The palace
gates were reopened, but there was no word on
the whereabouts of King Letsie III, mainly a
figurehead, the spokeswoman, Air Force Lt. Col.
Laverne Machine said by telephone.
She said that, contrary to earlier reports, 200
troops from Botswana had not yet arrived but were
expected later in the day. Six-hundred South
African troops, armored personnel carriers, attack
helicopters and mortar units were involved so far,
she said.
The military said the besieged Lesotho government
had called for intervention by the Southern
African Development Community.
"The aim of the intervention is to restore
stability as quickly as possible and to withdraw from the
kingdom of Lesotho as soon as this has been
achieved," it said.
The troops crossed the border at 5 a.m. (0300 GMT)
and were targeting the state radio building,
police, government buildings, utility stations,
military bases, embassies and airports.
Under apartheid, the nation's rulers sent troops
across its borders to countries that included
Angola and Namibia to take part in wars. But since
all-race elections in 1994, South Africa had
stuck to a policy of peaceful mediation in African
conflicts.
Weeks of unrest
The mobilization caps weeks of unrest by
opposition demonstrators who claim May
elections swept by the Lesotho Congress Party
were rigged. A report by a commission of
representatives from South Africa, Botswana
and Zimbabwe last week cited "serious
concerns" about the voting but did not suggest
the election be invalidated.
The Congress party won 79 of 80 seats but
scored only 61 percent of the vote because of
voting rules, to which the opposition parties had
agreed. The discrepancy is part of the source of
opposition dissatisfaction, Peterson said.
A distraught opposition spokeswoman, Mamello
Morrison, condemned the intervention in a
radio interview from Maseru.
"President Mandela, the president of South Africa,
has sent a troop of soldiers to come and
butcher innocent Lesotho (people) who are fighting
for their democratic rights," she said.
A faction of the Lesotho army rebelled 11 days ago,
deposing the military leadership. The new
commanders had refrained from restoring order in
the streets.
The intervention follows fruitless efforts by South
African mediators over the weekend to bring
the government and opponents together in talks.
Copyright 1998 The Associated Press. All
rights reserved. This material may not be
published, broadcast, rewritten,
or redistributed.
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Lori Pottinger, Director, Southern Africa Program,
and Editor, World Rivers Review
International Rivers Network
1847 Berkeley Way, Berkeley, California 94703, USA
Tel. (510) 848 1155 Fax (510) 848 1008
http://www.irn.org
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