MPs question army chief

MPs will today question Lieutenant General Mojalefa Letsoela about the wave of atrocities unleashed by the military during the controversial Operation Hard Fist.

The Prime Minister’s Parliamentary Committee on Ministries yesterday summoned Lieutenant General Letsoela through the Secretary General of Defence.

The budget statement sent to the Ministry of Defence by Parliament Clerk, Advocate Fine Maema, said that “the meeting will discuss the incidents in Mosalemane, Khokhoba and other places where the military operation led to torture”.

This comes a day after a press conference at which the commander acknowledged a number of mistakes made by the army and made shocking revelations about the involvement of renegade soldiers in the distribution of illegal firearms targeted in the operation.

He said the military was not out to torture and kill people.

The reason for his meeting with the parliamentarians was the recent incidents of human rights violations by soldiers during Operation Hard Fist.

Two weeks ago, the army killed two herd boys (‘Nete Makhabane and Lejone Mapoka) and brutally tortured a chief in Khokhoba Ha-Lebese.

A few days later they returned to a nearby village and allegedly tortured several people there.

MPs who visited the areas days after the incident were told that villagers were now living in fear after the military unleashed terror, killing two men, seriously injuring a chief and leaving several villagers injured through torture.

Some MPs left the area in anger.

Lt. Gen. Letsoela is thus receiving a cold reception from MPs who have witnessed the damage his men caused during the operation. In addition to hearing casualties, MPs are also being plagued by the growing anger against the military from their constituencies and on the radio and social media.

The number of lawsuits against the army for human rights violations is also increasing. The latest case is a M10 million lawsuit filed by four men from Leribe who claim they were mistreated by the soldiers.

Lieutenant General Letsoela admitted during yesterday’s press conference that there are soldiers who are involved in illegal weapons or selling army weapons to criminal gangs.

He said they recently arrested and detained a soldier who had sold 23 army rifles.

“We have discovered 21 so far. Two are still missing. We know where those weapons are,” he said, adding that the military would not tolerate such behavior.

Speaking about the killing of the two men and the attack on the leader in Khokhoba Ha-Lebese, Lt. Gen. Letsoela said his officer was involved in the illegal arms trade.

According to him, investigations showed that the weapon had passed through many different hands before ending up in the hands of his soldier.

The soldier, Lt. Gen. Letsoela said, passed the weapon to a female guard at the Lesotho Correctional Service (LCS).

“We have written a letter to the LCS to assist us with that weapon,” said Lt. Gen. Letsoela.

“That gun would kill someone.”

“If she doesn’t bring it, we will get it.”

Lieutenant General Letsoela said their preliminary investigation had revealed that a Mosotho man named Motlalepula Setoki was dealing in illegal firearms.

He said Setoki was ordered to hand over the weapon to the local Khokhoba leader, Chief Tabola Peete, but he failed to do so.

Lt Gen Letsoela said Setoki said he had already handed over that weapon to his village chief Lesaoana Masupha of Khokhoba Ha-Lebese.

He said Chief Masupha told the soldiers that he had passed the weapon to Lejone Mapoka.

Chief Masupha was assaulted by soldiers and is in critical condition at Queen’ Mamohato Memorial Hospital.

The soldiers arrested Mapoka, who told them that the weapon was with Makhabane.

The soldiers took them both and tortured them to death. But before they died, they revealed that the weapon was with one of the soldiers in the Ratjomose Barracks.

Lieutenant General Letsoela said the weapon reached the Ratjomose barracks through a woman who worked with some renegade soldiers.

Staff reporter

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