Zuma to meet Lesotho’s Thabane

As Prime Minister Thomas Thabane awaits his meeting with South African President Jacob Zuma, Lesotho's new army chief has ordered soldiers back to their barracks, South African broadcaster eNCA reported. It remains unclear who holds power in Lesotho, a mountain kingdom of 2 million people.

"My instructions to the military now are that they must return to barracks and cease all operations," army chief Maaparankoe Mahao said, adding that the services supported Thabane, currently in temporary exile in South Africa after being tipped off ahead of what he has called a coup.

On Saturday, soldiers had disarmed police in Lesotho citing a security risk and advanced on the prime minister's residence. It later emerged that one officer had been killed.

'Acting prime minister'

On Monday, Lesotho's minister of public service, Motloheloa Phooko, told the news agency AFP that he had assumed power as the country's acting premier, after Thabane fled the country during the apparent coup. Phooko's Lesotho Congress for Democracy party forms an acrimonious coalition government with Thabane's All Basotho Convention.

"I am acting prime minister," the minister told the news agency on Monday from Maseru, citing "Cabinet protocol" for his appointment during the prime minister's and deputy prime minister's time in South Africa. Phooko added that he would issue a statement to the nation later on Monday and described Lesotho's political situation as "fluid," according to AFP. Other news agencies reported that the king of Lesotho would appoint an interim head of government.

Under normal constitutional circumstances, Thabane's deputy - in this case, Mothetjoa Metsing, also of Phooko's Lesotho Congress for Democracy party - would lead. However, Thabane has accused Metsing of being behind the army's actions.

"I have no reason to absolve him from blame," Thabane told the Reuters news agency on Sunday, adding that "looking from a distance, he is very active in this show."

Political tensions between Thabane, Metsing and their respective parties in the country's fragile coalition government have been running high for the past few months, but the Lesotho Congress for Democracy has denied any role in the alleged coup.

mkg/slk (Reuters, AFP, dpa)