Les Forces de défense du Lesotho / Lesotho Defence Force

Citation :

Rival soldiers shoot dead Lesotho’s army chief on Tuesday

Khoantle Motsomotso was the commander of the Lesotho Defence Force, and was killed in a shoot-out

05 September 2017 - 16:55 byAgency Staff



A member of the Lesotho military stands guard in front of an armed personnel carrier at the entrance of the army barracks in Maseru, Lesotho.
Picture: REUTERS  


Maseru — Lesotho’s army commander was shot dead by rival officers at a military barracks on Tuesday, an official said, in an apparent assassination set to revive instability in the mountainous African kingdom.

The SABC reported that some senior Lesotho politicians had fled the country amid fears of a coup.

Col Tanki Mothae, the principal secretary for defence forces, confirmed the killing of Khoantle Motsomotso, who was commander of the Lesotho Defence Force, but provided no further details.

A news conference was scheduled to be held later in the day.

"The commander [Motsomotso] has been declared dead," a military official who declined to be named said, adding that two senior officers behind the attack had also been killed in the shoot-out.

The military official said the two senior officers were denied access to Motsomotso’s office by army guards.

"They attempted to forcefully enter, there was a shoot-out between the two, their companion who has since fled and the commander’s bodyguards," he said.

Lesotho has been through bouts of political turbulence since an attempted coup in 2014. It has been subject to several coups since gaining independence from Britain in 1966 and its last three elections — most recently in June — have failed to produce winners with clear majorities.

The wife of then Prime Minister Thomas Thabane was shot dead in June, two days before her husband’s inauguration, raising fears of another wave of political violence in the country.

A new coalition government took office in Lesotho in June under Thabane, who vowed to bring peace to the country that has been rocked by a series of political upheavals.

Thabane served as premier after the 2012 elections but was forced to flee to SA following an attempted military coup two years later.

In August 2014, soldiers led by sacked army chief Gen Tlali Kamoli seized control of police headquarters after Thabane had suspended parliament to avoid a no-confidence vote.

Thabane’s All Basotho Convention (ABC) party won snap elections on June 3 but failed to get an outright majority, leading it to negotiate joint rule with three other parties.

AFP/Reuters

https://www.businesslive.co.za/bd/world/2017-09-05-rival-soldiers-shoot-dead-lesothos-army-chief-on-tuesday/

Citation :

Lesotho Defence Force



1. Order of Battle

Total force strength Army: 2 000
Air Wing: 110

Army

Reconnaissance
4: AML-90
6: RAM-2-V
10: RBY-1 RAMTA
8: S52 Shorland

Towed artillery
2: L-118 105 mm

Mortar
 10: L-16 81 mm
Recoilless rifle
6: M-40 106 mm

Rocket launcher
?: RPG-7 Knout 73 mm

Structure
1 reconnaissance company
7 infantry companies
1 artillery battery
1 aviation squadron
1 support company

Air Wing

Transport aircraft
3: C212 300/400 Aviocar
1: GA-8 Airvan

Transport helicopter
3: Bell 412 EP/SP Twin Huey
2: BO 105LSA-3
1: Bell 206

http://www.defenceweb.co.za/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=31130:lesotho-defence-force&catid=119:african-militaries&Itemid=255  

Citation :

Lesotho commissions H125 helicopter

Erwan de Cherisey, Paris - Jane's Defence Weekly

20 December 2018


The Lesotho Defence Force (LDF) Air Wing commissioned a new Airbus Helicopters H125 on 17 December, the government announced.

The helicopter joins two H125s that entered service in 2017 and 2018, according to Deputy Prime Minister Monyane Moleleki, replaces an EC135 that crashed in April 2017.

The H125 is to be used for law enforcement, transporting government officials, and search and rescue, Moleleki added.

Citation :

Lesotho Defence Force receives H125 helicopter

Written by defenceWeb, Thursday, 03 January 2019



An H125 helicopter.The Lesotho Defence Force (LDF) Air Wing has taken delivery of an H125 light utility helicopter from Airbus Helicopters, replacing a crashed EC135.

The aircraft (LDF-23, msn 8581 ‘Mokhele’) was ferried to Lesotho on 7 December and was commissioned on 14 December at Mejametala Air Base in Maseru attended by representatives from Airbus Helicopters Southern Africa and LDF commander Lieutenant General Mojalefa Letsoela. He said the aircraft will be used for both military and civil applications, including search and rescue and emergency response.

Deputy Prime Minister Monyane Moleleki said the new helicopter is part of the expansion of the Lesotho Defence Force’s aerial capabilities. The new H125 replaces an EC135 that crashed in at Thaba-Putsoa in April 2017, killing two and injuring two others.

The Lesotho Defence Force (LDF) Air Wing has two other H125s in service, which were commissioned in 2017 and 2018. H125 ‘Litsebe’ was commissioned on 14 October 2017 along with the rehabilitation of the 1 300 metre long Mejametalana Air Base runway. The second aircraft, ‘Thaba Putsoa’, was commissioned in May 2018. All the helicopters are named after mountains in Lesotho.

Lesotho’s small Defence Force is only believed to have several C212s and a single GA-8 Airvan fixed wing aircraft in service, along with several Bell 412s, a couple of BO 105s and a single Bell 206.

http://www.defenceweb.co.za/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=54091:lesotho-defence-force-receives-h125-helicopter&catid=124:military-helicopters&Itemid=282

Citation :

South African Air Force, Lesotho Defence Force strengthen ties

Guy Martin -31st Aug 2023



Members of the Lesotho Defence Force (LDF) are in South Africa under a cooperation agreement aimed at furthering air arm training.

Ad Astra intern Nondumiso Ndhlela reported that the LDF delegation arrived at South African Air Force Headquarters on 28 August, and will be in South Africa until 1 September.

“The purpose of the visit from the Lesotho Defence Force was to follow up on a cooperation agreement which was signed by the SA National Defence Force, authorising the Kingdom of Lesotho Defence Force Air Wing to take part in the military training programmes,” Ndhlela explained.

SAAF and LDF officials were scheduled to discuss the hosting of LDF Air Wing members in South Africa for courses, and the introduction of joint exercises between the two organisations.

Some members of the Lesotho delegation previously underwent an Officer Forming Course in South Africa and said they were proud products of the SA Air Force.

LDF Colonel Tsukudu said, “we are gladly looking forward to exchanging knowledge on how we are going to maintain and improve our cooperation as well as solutions on development of aviation. It has been a while since we had our intakes with the SA Air Force, which was in 2009. We are delighted to be here to kickstart our cooperation.”

The LDF Air Wing relies on outside sources for pilot training as it has no capacity of its own. The SAAF has trained numerous pilots from its landlocked neighbour, while others have received training at commercial flying schools.

The LDF has a small Air Wing, whose most modern aircraft are three Airbus Helicopters H125s. Several C212s and a single GA-8 Airvan fixed wing aircraft are also believed to be in service, along with several Bell 412s, and a couple of BO 105s.

The LDF is mainly tasked with border control and managing internal security issues, such as cattle rustling, as well as search and rescue. It is contributing a company-sized infantry force to the SADC Mission in Mozambique (SAMIM), with the Air Wing providing a C212 for light transport duties.


https://www.defenceweb.co.za/aerospace/aerospace-aerospace/south-african-air-force-lesotho-defence-force-strengthen-ties/  

#FAZSOI | Le mois dernier, le détachement de la Légion Etrangère de Mayotte a formé une compagnie d’infanterie du Lesotho .

→ Partenariat fructueux avec les forces qui s’engagent pour la Communauté de développement de l'Afrique australe au Mozambique. pic.twitter.com/LkhLBHMyWd

— Armée française - Opérations militaires (@EtatMajorFR) November 14, 2023