VZCZCXRO9763
OO RUEHBZ RUEHDU RUEHJO RUEHRN
DE RUEHMR #0358/01 1701742
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 191742Z JUN 07
FM AMEMBASSY MASERU
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 3069
INFO RUCNSAD/SOUTHERN AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY
RUEHMR/AMEMBASSY MASERU 3441

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 MASERU 000358 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR DS/IP/AF, DS/IP/ITA, DS/DSS/OSAC, S/CT, D, P, M, INR, 
CA, AF/S; 
GABORONE FOR RSO 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PGOV KDEM ASEC CASC LT
SUBJECT: LESOTHO JUNE 19 SITREP: GOL REVISES CURFEW 
 
REF: A) MASERU 356; B) MASERU 355; C) MASERU 351 
 
MASERU 00000358  001.2 OF 004 
 
 
¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY: In the face of public criticism, mounting 
pressure from Lesotho's political opposition, and a threatened 
taxi strike, the nation's Police Commissioner announced on June 
19 a loosening of Maseru's current 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. daily curfew 
to the hours of 8 p.m. to 5 a.m.  Embassy Maseru's EAC met to 
review post's security posture in the light of relative calm the 
night of June 18-19, concluding that the situation had not 
substantially changed since the last EAC meeting (ref A).  The 
political angle to attacks of this last week remains clear.  The 
Police Commissioner foresees the current curfew as a temporary 
measure, not lasting more than a week or two, although it is 
highly unclear if she and the GOL can attain the goals which she 
sets as conditions for lifting the curfew -- the identification 
of the armed assailants and the seizure of their weapons.  END 
SUMMARY. 
 
 
 
--------------- 
 
Curfew Loosened 
 
--------------- 
 
 
 
¶2. (U) Lesotho's Commissioner of Police told diplomats late on 
June 19 that she had shortened Lesotho's 6:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. 
curfew to the hours of 8:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m., effective 
immediately.  Embassy Maseru will maintain its current policies 
regarding early closing hours for LES pending a review on June 
20 of the implementation of these new curfew hours. 
 
 
 
------------------------------ 
 
Quiet Night, Rough Checkpoints 
 
------------------------------ 
 
 
 
¶3. (SBU) While the evening of June 18-19 was relatively quiet 
with no new incidences of attacks on GOL targets, false 
checkpoints, or other incidents directly effecting U.S. mission 
personnel, other resident diplomatic missions did corroborate 
reports of rough treatment of civilians by police and military 
forces at checkpoints around Maseru. 
 
 
 
--------------------------- 
 
Prime Minister in Cape Town 
 
--------------------------- 
 
 
 
¶4. (U) Lesotho's Prime Minister, Pakalitha Mosisili, held 
previously scheduled talks with South African President Thabo 
Mbeki in Cape Town on June 19.  The Prime Minister, joined by at 
least four senior GOL ministers, is maintaining his schedule for 
his long-planned three-day official state visit to South Africa. 
 
 
 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
 
Opposition Press Conference: "Slap in the Face" 
 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
 
 
 
¶5. (U) At the end of a lengthy press conference on June 19 
called by Lesotho's five leading opposition parties to address 
SADC mediation efforts (septel), leaders briefly addressed the 
current curfew.  In a prepared joint statement, they concluded 
that the "dusk to dawn curfew is a slap in the face of Maseru 
residents" and that they will request that the GOL lift the 
curfew in order to ease tensions and level the playing field 
ahead of the SADC-mediated dialogue, which will resume on June 
¶25.  Separately, Professor Francis Makoa, head of the department 
of political science at the National University of Lesotho, 
opined during a media interview that, "I think [the curfew] is 
 
MASERU 00000358  002.2 OF 004 
 
 
an attempt to suppress the civil rights of the opposition." 
 
 
 
---------------- 
 
Border Confusion 
 
---------------- 
 
 
 
¶6. (SBU) According to Lesotho's Commissioner of Police, recent 
confusion regarding the status of the Lesotho-South Africa 
border crossing at Maseru had been resolved.  The Police 
Commissioner stated that border policies had been clarified and 
that the border station would remain open on a 24-hour basis. 
The South African High Commission confirmed this status to 
Charge. 
 
 
 
------------------------------------------- 
 
Little Info From GOL, Except Police Contact 
 
------------------------------------------- 
 
 
 
¶7. (SBU) Despite his assurances to the diplomatic corps (ref C), 
Deputy Prime Minister Lehohla has not publicly commented on the 
curfew.  The sole public GOL statement regarding the situation 
remains the curfew announcements by the Commissioner of Police. 
However, Lesotho's MFA did provide diplomatic missions on June 
19 with a police contact to serve as a "focal point for 
diplomatic missions and international organizations" during the 
curfew.  This contact was identified as Assistant Commissioner 
Kholokholo at the Lesotho Mounted Police Headquarters. 
 
 
 
------------------------------- 
 
Law Society to Challenge Curfew 
 
------------------------------- 
 
 
 
¶8. (U) The Lesotho Law Society (equivalent to the American Bar 
Association) has filed a case at the nation's High Court 
challenging the legality of the curfew.  The government's curfew 
is based on a 1991 Internal Security Order which was issued by 
the military government of that era.  The Law Society maintains 
that the current curfew order is inconsistent with the 1993 
Constitution, which restored democratic rule in Lesotho. 
 
 
 
------------------------------ 
 
Embassy Surveillance Detection 
 
Contractor Released 
 
------------------------------ 
 
 
 
¶9. (SBU) The Lesotho Defense Forces (LDF) released Embassy 
Maseru's contract surveillance detection team leader Motlalentoa 
Kopo from military custody on June 19 after being detained on 
June 18.  After previously denying that Mr. Kopo, a former 
military officer, was in custody, military sources stated that 
they had detained Kopo because he attended an ABC political 
opposition meeting at which participants allegedly discussed 
taking up arms against the GOL.  Mr. Kopo denies participating 
in any such meeting.  His detention, however, corresponds with 
senior GOL officials who have told diplomats that they suspect 
current and former military officers are tied to a spate of 
recent violent attacks on GOL officials.  According to senior 
level GOL authorities, the LDF Commander, invoking military 
provisions, had at least five active duty LDF officers arrested 
in connection with the recent violence primarily for dereliction 
of duty, but under suspicion of closer involvement in the 
attacks. 
 
 
MASERU 00000358  003.2 OF 004 
 
 
 
 
------------------ 
 
Taxi Strike Threat 
 
------------------ 
 
 
 
¶10. (U) Harvest FM, an opposition-oriented private radio station 
in Maseru, reported that seven taxi associations wrote a letter 
to the Commissioner of Police demanding that the curfew be 
lifted by 12:00 p.m. on June 20, 2007; otherwise, they will not 
release their vehicles to transport residents of Maseru.  This 
move by taxi associations on June 19, many of which are strongly 
associated with opposition parties, has the potential to disrupt 
public transport in the capital.  The Police Commissioner, 
however, told Charge on June 19 that she was confident the 
revised curfew hours would alleviate the taxi operators' 
concerns and that they would not strike. 
 
 
 
----------- 
 
EAC Meeting 
 
----------- 
 
 
 
¶11. (SBU) Embassy Maseru's EAC convened at 11:00 a.m. on June 19 
to review the mission's security posture.  The EAC agreed that 
the situation had not substantially changed since the last EAC 
meeting on June 18 (ref A) which assessed the situation as 
stable but increasingly tense.  Embassy Maseru's local guard 
force personnel have been briefed on the security situation. 
The Embassy's security contractor has not experienced major 
problems providing security to the Embassy compound or 
residences as result of the curfew.  The movement of 
surveillance detection teams has been slightly restricted, but 
this has not led to degradation of post's security posture.  The 
consular section reported that there have been no incidents of 
American citizens in distress, and that several AmCits had 
recently registered or made inquiries regarding the current 
situation. 
 
 
 
----------------------------- 
 
Peace Corps Vehicle Recovered 
 
----------------------------- 
 
 
 
¶12. (SBU) On June 19, authorities returned a Peace Corps vehicle 
which was carjacked on the evening of June 17 (ref A) to Peace 
Corps custody.  According to senior police officials, the armed 
assailants who seized this vehicle were likely the same as those 
who shot Lesotho's Deputy Police Commissioner on the same 
evening. 
 
 
 
------------------------- 
 
GOL Functioning Normally, 
 
Tensions Stabilizing? 
 
------------------------- 
 
 
 
¶13. (SBU) COMMENT: During the last 24 hours, tensions have not 
escalated in Lesotho but the situation remains unpredictable. 
Despite the alarmist statements of the Deputy Prime Minister 
regarding alleged coup plots (ref C), it does not appear that 
the perpetrators of recent attacks pose a threat to the GOL's 
immediate ability to govern.  Nonetheless, the attacks of this 
last week do appear to be of a political, rather than simply 
criminal, nature.  The Police Commissioner foresees the current 
curfew as a temporary measure, not lasting more than a week or 
two, although it is highly unclear if she and the GOL can attain 
the goals which she sets as conditions for lifting the curfew -- 
 
MASERU 00000358  004.2 OF 004 
 
 
the identification of the armed assailants and the seizure of 
their weapons.  END COMMENT. 
MURPHY