MILITARY IN CHARGE: A soldier stands guard in front of an armoured personnel carrier outside the army barracks in Lesotho's capital, Maseru yesterday. The mountain kingdom's Prime Minister, Tom Thabane, accused the army of staging a coup against him and has fled to South Africa.
A group of South African soldiers helped Lesotho Prime Minister Tom Thabane to flee his home in Maseru just before the arrival of military mutineers who were determined to force him out of office.
Thabane was taken across the border to Ladybrand in the Free State, where he is under the protection of the South African government.
Trouble had been brewing in the landlocked mountain kingdom ever since Thabane, who enjoys close relations with the controversial South Africa-based Gupta family, dissolved the Lesotho parliament in June amid rumours that MPs were planning to pass a vote of no confidence against him.
Yesterday's coup attempt appears to have been sparked by Friday's removal of army chief Lieutenant-General Kennedy Kamoli from office by Lesotho's King Letsie .
Lesotho's army denied this was a coup. Spokesman Major Ntele Ntoi said the army's actions were part of an operation to disarm police who had been preparing to provide weapons to political parties.
According to Thabane's spokes-man, Thabo Thakalekoala, the king's decision "did not sit well with" Kamoli and other Lesotho Defence Force soldiers.
At about 2am yesterday, soldiers attacked several police stations and stormed the prime minister's residence. "Fortunately, the prime minister had already fled to South Africa," said Thakalekoala.
The Lesotho police are seen as loyal to Thabane, but the army is closely aligned to Deputy Prime Minister Mothetjoa Metsing.
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