Two soldiers have been wounded and a private security guard killed during a shooting outside the presidential palace gates in Lesotho, adding to an already tense political climate ahead of elections later this month, an official said Monday. The two soldiers were attacked on Sunday by “renegade” soldiers who wanted to destabilize Lesotho ahead of the Feb. 28 elections, Thabo Thakalekoala, the prime minister’s press secretary said.
The two soldiers were among those who had warned Prime Minister Thomas Thabane of an alleged coup in the tiny southern African kingdom last year, said Thakalekoala. They had not returned to the military barracks since last year, out of fear of reprisals from a faction of soldiers who supported Thabane’s removal.
“If we go to elections with the soldiers running amok, doing what they want to do, the (Southern African Development Community) will have to rethink this issue,” he said, referring to the 15-nation regional body which has set up an observer mission in the country following unrest last year.
Full Article: Soldiers attacked ahead of Lesotho’s election – Yahoo News.
