Lesotho A Cautionary Tale For West African Forces

South Africa's 1998 incursion into Maseru did not go well. Getty Images

Any military intervention in the Gambia by West African troops needs to be carefully considered. What happened in a similar situation in Lesotho in 1998 -  when South African soldiers backed by Botswana invaded the tiny land-locked kingdom of Lesotho with the aim of restoring order - offers a cautionary tale.

BBC Africa Live report continues:

Just as the Gambia is sandwiched by Senegal geographically, Lesotho lies completely within South African borders. There was chaos in the streets of the capital Maseru following a disputed election and a coup.

A statement by the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) said an intervention had been requested by the Lesotho government under the provisions of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), an equivalent of the regional body, ECOWAS.

Nelson Mandela, who was president at the time, sanctioned the intervention, carried out by his acting president Chief Mangosuthu Buthelezi, while he was out of the country.

Mr Mandela had said the invasion was essential to end “chaos and anarchy”.

Gambian forces in Banjul do not appear to be gearing up to resist any military intervention for now, but in Lesotho there was an unexpected resistance and 58 of their troops died.

Nine South African soldiers were killed.

The fighting was followed by looting and general chaos devastated the mountain kingdom’s capital. Many residents blamed it on the invasion.

There are many people in this part of the African continent watching from a distance, hoping that the same unintended consequence does not play itself out this time around, 18 years after the Lesotho invasion.