In 1998, Lesotho was an independent nation located in Southern Africa. It was a small, landlocked country surrounded by South Africa and was one of the poorest countries in the world. At this time, Lesotho had a population of around 2 million people and its economy was mainly reliant on subsistence agriculture and livestock farming. Additionally, there were high levels of poverty and unemployment due to a lack of investment in the country’s infrastructure. See dentistrymyth for Lesotho in the year of 2015.
In an attempt to improve the country’s economic situation, the government implemented a series of economic reforms such as liberalizing trade and investment policies and introducing market reforms. It also sought to improve relations with its neighbors by joining various international organizations such as the Southern African Development Community (SADC). Despite these efforts, however, poverty remained a major issue in Lesotho due to its weak economy and lack of resources. As a result, many citizens still face economic hardship even today. To further complicate matters, Lesotho is also dealing with environmental issues such as soil erosion caused by overgrazing along its mountainous terrain. Despite these challenges, however, Lesotho has made significant progress over the past two decades and is slowly transitioning into an industrialized nation with improved economic prospects for its people.
Yearbook 1998
Lesotho. According to Countryaah, the capital of Lesotho is Maseru. Prime Minister Ntsu Mokhehle resigned in January as leader of the Lesotho Congress for Democracy (LCD). He also dissolved Parliament and announced new elections. New party leader and prime minister became Pakalitha Mosisili.
In the May election, LCD won 79 of the 80 seats, and the opposition accused LCD of cheating and demanded that the election be annulled. In August, the opposition began conducting daily demonstrations in the capital Maseru. Clashes occurred and several people were killed.
In September, parts of the army revolted, and the commander was taken prisoner and forced to retire. Government administration was paralyzed by strikes. At Prime Minister Mosisili’s request, South Africa intervened with 600 soldiers and Botswana with 300. They faced fierce resistance and hundreds of people were killed during the ensuing days’ fighting, including many civilians and nine South Africans. Maseru was looted and parts of the capital burned down. After a week, the uprising was put down after the intervention force was strengthened.
- Abbreviationfinder: What does LSO stand for in geography? Here, this 3 letter acronym refers to the country of Lesotho.
The government and the opposition set up a joint “executive transitional council” which, in parallel with the government, would overhaul the electoral system and reorganize the electoral commission for new elections that were promised until April 2000.
