Caswell Tlali
MASERU — Nobel Peace Award winner Archbishop Desmond Tutu on Friday appealed to the Lesotho Defence Force (LDF) soldiers to stay in barracks and resist the temptation to interfere in civil matters.
Tutu’s appeal comes a week after the LDF issued a statement saying it would “hit very hard” people who would disturb peace. The army issued the warning after a violent clash between Democratic Congress (DC) and opposition supporters in Ha-Thetsane on Thursday last week.
Tutu, who said the Christian Council of Lesotho (CCL) called him to intervene even before more bloodshed could be experienced prior to May 26 election, told a press conference that defence forces in Africa are often misused by unscrupulous politicians.
Urging the LDF to “stay in barracks until the rightful authority calls you”, he said an army’s job is to protect the people and it should not allow itself to be used by politicians.
Tutu was responding to a question whether the LDF statement could not be considered threatening to the ordinary people and whether the army was not encroaching into the police’s mandate.
“One of the curses of Africa has been what they call the defence force which is meant to defend the people but [it] is usually used by politicians against the people,” Tutu said.
“In some African countries the defence forces are pampered because the ruler wants their support, even if the rest of the workers have not been paid their salaries,” he said.
“The army is meant to be people’s army to defend the people, not a tool of unscrupulous politicians.”
He advised the LDF soldiers that they should disobey unlawful instructions because carrying out orders is not a defence at the International Human Rights Court at The Hague.
“It won’t be an excuse to say I was carrying [out] orders. Your obligation is not to obey law that is immoral and is a violation of human rights,” he said.
“Do not let the people of Lesotho suffer, they have suffered enough.”