JOHANNESBURG — In his Tuesday night time address to Congress, President Trump defended his administration’s humanitarian assist cuts to international locations across the globe, together with one nation he joked “no one has ever heard of.”
It’s the southern African nation of Lesotho.
The nation’s overseas minister, Lejone Mpotjoane, instructed NPR it was “fairly stunning for the pinnacle of state to make such a comment.”
“The federal government of the US has an embassy in Maseru [Lesotho’s capital],” Mpotjoane mentioned on Wednesday, including that the 2 international locations have had “a protracted cooperation.”
He invited Trump to go to the nation.
At the very least one particular person attending the deal with on Capitol Hill may seemingly place the tiny nation on a map: Elon Musk, Trump’s South African-born adviser, who has been instrumental in dismantling the U.S. Company for Worldwide Growth. Simply final fall, Lesotho’s prime minister met with Musk and mentioned they mentioned web entry options in Lesotho.
Listed here are some info in regards to the mountainous kingdom surrounded by South Africa.
The U.S. was serving to Lesotho forestall AIDS
Ladies go away the poling station after casting their vote in Thaba-Tseka district, Lesotho, on Oct. 7, 2022.
Themba Hadebe/AP
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Themba Hadebe/AP
First, to deal with Trump’s feedback. Trump said in his speech that the U.S. had despatched “$8 million to advertise LGBTQI+ within the African nation of Lesotho, which no one has ever heard of.” A lot of the cash USAID has despatched to Lesotho goes towards HIV prevention. Lesotho is without doubt one of the international locations on this planet hardest-hit by the AIDS epidemic. The United Nations says nearly 1 / 4 of the inhabitants resides with the virus.
Slashing USAID has sparked fears there may very well be a resurgence of the illness and other people may die unnecessarily. One USAID-funded group in Lesotho told South African media that the cash had been supporting antiretroviral remedy for a whole bunch of individuals from the LTBTQ group residing with HIV. One other group mentioned 1000’s of HIV-positive youngsters and pregnant girls can be left within the lurch.
Lesotho’s well being minister, Selibe Mochoboroane, mentioned the federal government is working to avoid wasting the roles of about 1,500 well being employees affected by the funding cuts.
Lesotho is a poor nation — however wealthy in diamonds and H2O
A Sotheby’s worker shows a well-known Lesotho I diamond throughout an public sale preview in 2008 in Geneva. A number of the largest diamonds ever discovered have been mined in Lesotho.
Fabrice Coffrini/AFP through Getty Photographs
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Fabrice Coffrini/AFP through Getty Photographs
Lesotho was a British protectorate till 1966, when it gained independence. The nation has a inhabitants of about 2.3 million people and is a constitutional monarchy, the place King Letsie III is the pinnacle of state and Prime Minister Sam Matekane is the pinnacle of presidency. Matekane gained the final elections in 2022, campaigning to root out corruption.
Matekane is a former diamond magnate in a rustic wealthy within the gems, a few of the biggest ever discovered have been mined there. Regardless of its diamond wealth, Lesotho is a poor nation — and its economic system depends heavily on South Africa. It sells its different main natural resource, water, to its bigger neighbor.
Group members carry out a dance and music within the village in Leribe, Lesotho, Oct. 2, 2024.
Brian Otieno/Getty Photographs for Sentebale
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Brian Otieno/Getty Photographs for Sentebale
Lesotho has a singular fashion of conventional gown, colourful and intricately patterned woolen blankets, often known as Basotho blankets, are worn by some individuals as scarfs. There may be additionally a specific fashion of straw conical hat worn by some in Lesotho known as a “mokorotlo.” It seems on the nation’s flag.
Lesotho grows medical marijuana, makes denims — and has Chinese language investments
Matumelo Manosa (middle) works in a garment manufacturing facility in Maseru, Lesotho, on Feb. 24, 2022.
Neo Ntsoma/AP
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Neo Ntsoma/AP
Whereas the U.S. authorities might not worth its relations with Lesotho, Washington’s foremost rival for affect in Africa, China, does. China has constructed a lot of the nation’s infrastructure, together with the parliament, and at a big assembly with African heads of state in Beijing final yr, the 2 international locations promised to cooperate in an array of different areas, together with inexperienced power, schooling and agriculture.
Chinese language — and Taiwanese — companies have additionally lengthy been current within the nation, with factories specializing in textile and clothes manufacturing. The textile trade is a serious employer and Lesotho is the largest sub-Saharan African exporter of clothes to the U.S. However labor rights advocates have reported worker abuses in denim factories.
However there’s one other trade Lesotho is hoping to money in on. The nation started issuing licenses to develop marijuana for medical functions in 2017, and there are actually numerous firms rising it for export.
It is a British prince’s second dwelling
Prince Harry is welcomed by a group chief throughout a go to of Leribe, Lesotho, on Oct. 2, 2024.
Brian Otieno/Getty Photographs
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Brian Otieno/Getty Photographs
One one who actually is aware of the place Lesotho is: Britain’s Prince Harry. He is a large fan of the nation after spending a part of his gap year there after highschool. The Duke of Sussex even has a nickname within the Sesotho language: Mohale, which suggests “warrior.”
He’s near Lesotho’s king and queen and arrange a youngsters’s HIV/AIDS charity, Sentebale, with Lesotho’s Prince Seeiso in 2006. He returned to the nation final yr to mark its bicentenary and mentioned he “rekindled cherished connections from his childhood.” He has beforehand spoken about how when he first went to Lesotho at 19, nonetheless reeling from the loss of life of his mom Princess Diana, he met different younger individuals who have been additionally dealing with loss, a few of whom have been AIDS orphans.
Lesotho has scenic magnificence, snowboarding and golf
A snowboarder performs a again flip at Afriski within the Maluti Mountains in Lesotho.
Marco Longari/AFP through Getty Photographs
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Marco Longari/AFP through Getty Photographs
Dubbed “the Kingdom within the Sky,” Lesotho is thought for its majestic pure magnificence, with excessive, snow-tipped mountains, crystal-clear rivers and plush inexperienced valleys. The nation’s jap border with South Africa is shaped by the Drakensberg Mountain vary, and the highest peak is greater than 11,000 toes above sea degree. One among only some ski resorts in Africa might be present in Lesotho. And it boasts the highest pub on the continent, the place guests can get a beer greater than 9,000 toes above sea degree. Within the rural areas, many individuals in Lesotho ride ponies, and horse trails are one other standard vacationer providing.
Talking to NPR, International Minister Mpotjoane talked about there’s a golf course within the capital, close to the U.S. Embassy, which he additionally invited Trump to go to.
