LESOTHO: SABOTEURS ATTACK ABATTOIR AS DELEGATES ARRIVE FOR MEETING OF SOUTHERN AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT CO-ORDINATION CONFERENCE (SADCC).

Record ID: 355153

  • Title: LESOTHO: SABOTEURS ATTACK ABATTOIR AS DELEGATES ARRIVE FOR MEETING OF SOUTHERN AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT CO-ORDINATION CONFERENCE (SADCC).
  • Date: 28th January 1983
  • Summary: 1. GV PULL BACK Flags outside conference centre, Hilton Hotel, with delegates arriving by car (3 shots) 0.26 2. SV Officials waiting for King of Lesotho, Moshoeshoe II to arrive 0.28 3. GV King arrives and greeted by officials and enters the conference centre (2 shots) 0.56 4. SCU King Moshoeshoe speaking (SOT) and crowd applauds (2 shots) 2.12 5. SCU Danish FM Mr. E
  • Embargoed: 12th February 1983 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: MASERU AND NEAR MASERU, LESOTHO
  • Country: Lesotho
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVAEU4QNPNB1K226Q8SUSALQ836B
  • Story Text: MASERU AND NEAR MASERU, LESOTHO

    As delegates arrived in Maseru, Lesotho, for a meeting of the Southern African Development Co-ordination Conference (SADCC), guerrillas attacked a nearby from the nine SADCC countries and officials from European countries arrived to discuss economic growth and investment for the region. An SADCC spokesman quoted by Reuters said that there were fears in Lesotho that violent attack on economic installation might frighten off foreign investment. The attack came before King Moshoeshoe II arrived to open the conference. The King said the guerrilla attack was aimed at preventing investment in his country and appealed to Western countries to continue their economic aid. The Danish Foreign Minister, Mr Ellman-jensen, said the main aim of the SADCC DADCC conference was economic co-operation, but added the political situation must be considered. Mr. D.A. Anderson, Commonwealth Secretariat delegate, said the conference helped give momentum to aid programmes in Southern Africa. Responsibility for the raid on the one the one million U.S. Dollar abattoir has been blamed on the Lesotho Liberation Army (LLA), the military wing of the exiled opposition Basutolnd Congrees Party (BCP). There were no casualties in the attack, which occurred six kilometres (4 miles) from Maseru, but the blast caused considerable damage. Reporters counted 16 holes in two water storage tanks and the nearby pump house of the abattoir. The total cost of damage had not yet been assessed. The Lesotho government said the LLA operated from bases in South Africa as part of a campaign to destabilise the region and keep the SADCC countries economically under-developed.

    <strong>Source: REUTERS - LOUIS BREYTENBACH</strong>
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2015. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
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