Ntsoaki Motaung
Lieutenant General Mojalefa Letsoela, Commander of the Lesotho Defence Force (LDF), has voiced his concerns regarding the coordination between the country’s national security agencies.
Speaking recently before the parliamentary Committee on the Prime Minister’s Cluster, Letsoela emphasised the need for an audit of the LDF, Lesotho Mounted Police Service (LMPS), and National Security Services (NSS) to address existing issues.
“Our institutions need a serious audit by our authorities to determine if we are effective and efficient. If we are not, the gaps must be identified and addressed,” Letsoela stated.
He stressed that without such an audit, trust issues among the agencies would persist.
The discussion followed a question from Committee Chairman Kobile Letlailana about the relationship between the LDF and the police regarding joint operations. Letlailana also sought clarification on when and why the LDF gets involved in police operations.
Letsoela explained that the police, LDF, and NSS each have constitutionally defined duties and laws governing their operations. However, certain circumstances necessitate collaboration among the three agencies.
He cited Section 190 of the Defence Force Act, which allows for the police commissioner to invite the LDF for assistance in maintaining constitutional order, particularly in cases such as civil unrest.
“In a democratic government, civil authority can determine the employment of both agencies, as was the case during Operation Fiela,” Letsoela said.
He added that LDF law under Section 5 permits independent operations, such as Operation Hard Fist, allowing the military to suppress terrorism, maintain order, and prevent crime, especially in situations of high crime prevalence.
Letsoela acknowledged strategic operational gaps between the security agencies, noting that these gaps have led to coordination challenges.
“We requested a long time ago that these issues be addressed to prevent the lack of direction we’re facing now,” he said.
He mentioned that operational coordination between the LDF commander and the police commissioner was intended but often hindered by historical issues and gaps in strategy.
“Stability has been evident among us since 2018, but there are still challenges to effective coordination. For instance, we may arrest someone today only to see them released the next day, which creates a significant gap,” Letsoela remarked, adding that these coordination failures should not be viewed as personal disputes but as institutional problems.
“If we fail, we fail this nation. That is the operational gap we must address.”
