JOHANNESBURG — In his Tuesday evening deal with to Congress, President Trump defended his administration’s humanitarian support cuts to international locations across the globe, together with one nation he joked “nobody has ever heard of.”
It’s the southern African nation of Lesotho.
The nation’s overseas minister, Lejone Mpotjoane, advised NPR it was “quite shocking for the head of state to make such a remark.”
“The government of the United States has an embassy in Maseru [Lesotho’s capital],” Mpotjoane stated on Wednesday, including that the 2 international locations have had “a long cooperation.”
He invited Trump to go to the nation.
At the very least one individual attending the deal with on Capitol Hill may probably 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 stated they mentioned web entry options in Lesotho.
Listed below are some information in regards to the mountainous kingdom surrounded by South Africa.
The U.S. was serving to Lesotho stop AIDS
Girls depart 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 stated in his speech that the U.S. had despatched “$8 million to promote LGBTQI+ in the African nation of Lesotho, which nobody 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 the earth 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 could possibly be a resurgence of the illness and folks may die unnecessarily. One USAID-funded group in Lesotho advised South African media that the cash had been supporting antiretroviral remedy for lots of of individuals from the LTBTQ group dwelling with HIV. One other group stated 1000’s of HIV-positive youngsters and pregnant girls could be left within the lurch.
Lesotho’s well being minister, Selibe Mochoboroane, stated the federal government is working to save lots of the roles of about 1,500 well being staff 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. Among the greatest diamonds ever discovered have been mined in Lesotho.
Fabrice Coffrini/AFP by way of Getty Pictures
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Fabrice Coffrini/AFP by way of Getty Pictures
Lesotho was a British protectorate till 1966, when it gained independence. The nation has a inhabitants of about 2.3 million individuals 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 received 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 most important ever discovered have been mined there. Regardless of its diamond wealth, Lesotho is a poor nation — and its economic system depends closely on South Africa. It sells its different main pure useful resource, water, to its bigger neighbor.
Neighborhood members carry out a dance and track within the village in Leribe, Lesotho, Oct. 2, 2024.
Brian Otieno/Getty Pictures for Sentebale
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Brian Otieno/Getty Pictures for Sentebale
Lesotho has a singular type of conventional costume, colourful and intricately patterned woolen blankets, often known as Basotho blankets, are worn by some individuals as scarfs. There’s additionally a selected type of straw conical hat worn by some in Lesotho referred to as a “mokorotlo.” It seems on the nation’s flag.
Lesotho grows medical marijuana, makes denims — and has Chinese language investments
Matumelo Manosa (heart) works in a garment manufacturing facility in Maseru, Lesotho, on Feb. 24, 2022.
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Neo Ntsoma/AP
Whereas the U.S. authorities might not worth its relations with Lesotho, Washington’s fundamental 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 vitality, training 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 business 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 employee abuses in denim factories.
However there’s one other business Lesotho is hoping to money in on. The nation started issuing licenses to develop marijuana for medical functions in 2017, and there at the moment are a lot of corporations rising it for export.
It is a British prince’s second residence
Prince Harry is welcomed by a group chief throughout a go to of Leribe, Lesotho, on Oct. 2, 2024.
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Brian Otieno/Getty Pictures
One one that definitely 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 hole yr 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 stated 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 had been additionally dealing with loss, a few of whom had been AIDS orphans.
Lesotho has scenic magnificence, snowboarding and golf
A snowboarder performs a again flip at Afriski within the Maluti Mountains in Lesotho.
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Marco Longari/AFP by way of Getty Pictures
Dubbed “the Kingdom in 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 japanese border with South Africa is shaped by the Drakensberg Mountain vary, and the highest peak is greater than 11,000 ft above sea stage. One among only some ski resorts in Africa could be present in Lesotho. And it boasts the highest pub on the continent, the place guests can get a beer greater than 9,000 ft above sea stage. Within the rural areas, many individuals in Lesotho trip ponies, and horse trails are one other in style 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.
