Democratic Reversals: Examining the Role of the Armed Forces and Southern African Development Community in Lesotho

This paper examines the impediments to democratic consolidation and the factors amounting to democratic reversals in Lesotho, especially those which implicate the armed forces. The paper also explores the efforts made by the South African Development Community (SADC) in restoring peace and safeguarding the democratic gains in the country. Drawing from the literature, the paper contends that the government of Lesotho has a tendency of using the state forces to achieve personal gains and by so doing sabotage the national interests. This problem is aggravated by the SADC whose frivolous envoys usually take its mandate for granted. Such tendencies reverse the democratic gains the country has accumulated over the decades. Notwithstanding, the paper posits that the challenges Lesotho is undergoing are but hiccups and are by no means necessarily pointing to democratic erosion and these problems could be addressed by entrusting the army to the King, depoliticising and restructuring the army and capacitating the SADC secretariat.