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Unpaid LDF troops continue shining in Mozambique

Business

Ntsoaki Motaung

The Minister of Defense and National Security Halebonoe Setšabi has refuted claims that members of the Lesotho Defence Force on a peace-keeping mission to the Republic of Mozambique have not received any form of allowance since they were dispatched under the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Mission in Mozambique (SAMIM) some three months ago.

Setšabi indicated that, LDF members in SADC mission in Mozambique received their first allowances for their first month in the mission.

“It is not true that our soldiers in Mozambique have not received any money from the government of Lesotho for being in the SADC mission. What happened is that they have received their allowance for the first month in the mission but have not yet received allowances for the second and third months because expectation was that they would spend just three months on the mission,” he said.

Setšabi indicated that it was also expected that the SADC would contribute towards the allowances, however everything is being dealt with.

This paper has learnt that the members of the LDF contingent had only received M7500 from the government that was said to be an allowance for their initial two weeks.

However, Setšabi stressed that the money owed to the soldiers was that which equals two months as they had been paid for the first month.

“They had not received their second and third month allowances because we encountered problems with our system at the Ministry of Finance but we are working on it,” he said.

Meanwhile, LDF Public Relations Officer Captain Sakeng Lekola told Newsday in an interview that all the members of the Lesotho contingent force are still safe and sound and continue to exude the best in military excellence working alongside their Tanzanian counterparts.

“LDF contingent with Tanzania contingents have succeeded in retrieving more than 200 villagers of Litingin and Ngangolo in Nangade district in the province of Cabo Delgado after the forces launched an offensive on the terrorists’ base in the south of Chitama settlement in Nangade district,” he said.

He said the attack led to the destruction of Al Sunnah wa Jama’ah terrorists base and the killing of their leader Sheikh Dr Njile along with about 20 other terrorists.

“Although there are those villagers who are still hiding, but most of them have returned to their villages or homes,” he said.

Lekola indicated that, as part of the successes, the members of the two managed to defuse and destroy a 60mm mortar rocket on 09th October 2021 at Samora Machel village.

“After the bomb was defused, forces searched the village to ensure safety of returning villagers,” he said.

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