Lesotho: Maloi a Beacon of Hope Amid Lesotho's Eternal Turmoil

Maseru — AGED only 23, Karabelo Maloi has lived through five coups, two parliamentary dissolutions and multiple assassination attempts on the life of successive heads of state. This mirrors the ignominy of Lesotho as one of the most volatile countries in the continent. "We are a country at a crossroads. I cannot remember a time when my daily life in Lesotho was not lived under a dark cloud of impending civil war," said Maloi. A dark cloud is hanging over the tiny Mountain Kingdom again following the assassination of Commander of the Lesotho Defence Force, Lt-General Motsomotso, earlier this month. Two senior army officers allegedly liable for the murder were also slain by guards at the barracks in the capital Maseru.

In recent years, such politically-motivated extrajudicial killings have been commonplace. In June, Lipolelo Thabane, the estranged wife of Prime Minister, Tom Thabane, was shot and killed just hours before his inauguration. "This is the kind of lawlessness we have become accustomed to in this country," Maloi said. Lesotho finds itself on the agenda of the Southern African Development Community again, with the announcement of the deployment of a regional force to support the Thabane's government. The future of the country, not to mention the youth who make up over 60 percent of the estimated 2,2 million population, is seemingly ruined. However, beneath the turbulence, winds of change are blowing. Some youths are taking it upon themselves to inculcate peace and hope among the country's future leaders. Maloi is prominent among such youth. "It is very simple, I love my country," he said in an interview. "

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