Lesotho
Lesotho gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1966. Since then, it has suffered from a series of coups. The country is encircled by South Africa and became the focus of aggression during the armed struggle against the apartheid era.1 Lesotho faces major problems related to the proliferation of small arms and light weapons, which are rooted in the country’s decades-long volatile and mostly violent political history. It is affected by armed robberies, armed attacks on the civilian population, weapons trafficking from neighbouring countries, and the activities of organised criminal groups. The mutinies of 1994 and 1998 within the defence forces resulted in the looting of firearms, which were then used to commit further crimes.2
The country’s guiding gun control legislation includes the Arms and Ammunition Act of 1966. Lesotho has signed and ratified the Arms Trade Treaty.3 The European Union, the United Kingdom and Norway have supported weapons destruction programmes in the country.4
1 Sarah Meek and Noel Stott, Destroying Surplus Weapons: An Assessment of Experience in South Africa and Lesotho (Geneva: UN Institute for Disarmament Research, 2003), https://www.smallarmssurvey.org/sites/default/files/resources/SAS-UNIDIR-2003-Destroying-Surplus-Weapons_03.pdf.
2 Lesotho, National Report on the Implementation of the Programme of Action on Small Arms and Light Weapons (PoA) and the International Tracing Instrument (ITI) (New York: Permanent Mission of Lesotho to the UN, 2008), https://unoda-poa.s3.amazonaws.com/poa-reports-le/2008%40110%40National%20report.pdf.
3 Philip Alpers and Marcus Wilson, Lesotho – Gun Facts, Figures and the Law (GunPolicy.org, Sydney School of Public Health, University of Sydney, 2022), https://www.gunpolicy.org/firearms/region/lesotho.
4 Meek and Stott, Destroying Surplus Weapons.
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Further information
Accidental explosions
Since the Small Arms Survey began collecting data in 1979, no accidental explosions have been reported in Lesotho.
Source: “Unplanned Explosions at Munitions Sites (UEMS) Database,” Small Arms Survey, updated December 15, 2021, https://smallarmssurvey.org/database/unplanned-explosions-munitions-sites-uems.
Cases of diversion
Numerous cases of diversion have been reported in Lesotho.
Table 1. Cases of diversion of arms, ammunition and explosives in Lesotho
Year | Location | Description |
2021 | Mafeteng police station | Unknown criminals stole 75 pistols from the government armoury. |
2021 | Maseru | 159 guns were stolen from the police. |
1998 | Makoanyane (military base outside of Maseru, the capital) | Mutinous soldiers stole thousands of weapons, including AK-47 assault rifles, from the defence force’s armoury. |
Sources: “Police Probe Stolen Firearms,” Newsday, November 15, 2021, https://www.newsdayonline.co.ls/police-probe-stolen-firearms; “Thousands of Stolen Weapons Loose in Lesotho,” Mail & Guardian Online, October 6, 1998, https://mg.co.za/article/1998-10-06-thousands-of-stolen-weapons-loose-in-lesotho; “Molibeli, LEPOSA in Cross-finger Blame-game over Missing Guns,” Newsday, November 19, 2021, https://www.newsdayonline.co.ls/molibeli-leposa-in-cross-finger-blame-game-over-missing-guns.
Disposal
To decrease the above-mentioned risks of accidental explosions and diversion, Lesotho regularly disposes of its ammunition. In the period 1999–2000, 11 tonnes of ammunition were destroyed; however, there is insufficient information to estimate the number of tonnes of ammunition disposed of annually.
Source: Meek and Stott, Destroying Surplus Weapons.
Needs
To further enhance safe and secure ammunition management, the following needs have been identified for Lesotho:
- Development or refinement of standards and procedures on stockpile management, particularly assistance in stockpile management to prevent firearms from finding their way back into the hands of unauthorised firearms’ users; and
- Capacity development for the destruction of surplus stockpiles, particularly assistance in establishing efficient firearm destruction methods.
Source: Lesotho, National Report on the Implementation of the Programme of Action on Small Arms and Light Weapons (PoA) and the International Tracing Instrument (ITI) (New York: Permanent Mission of Lesotho to the UN, 2018), https://unoda-poa.s3.amazonaws.com/reports/LSO-English-842-SUBMITTED.pdf.
