United State of America Donald Trump announced that his country have donated money to Lesotho.
Then foreign Minister in Lesotho Lejone Mpotjoane noticed public and media that they didn’t expect such statement from U.S. President.
Two days ago the United State of America president called Lesotho a country “nobody has ever heard of” as he defended his sweeping cuts in aid during an address to Congress on Tuesday.
He singled out a past US aid project of “eight million dollars to promote LGBTQI+ in the African nation of Lesotho”.
The foreign Minister Mpotjoane expressed his dissatisfaction and that they have never expect such words from the President.
Mpotjoane said “We did not expect a head of state to refer to another sovereign nation in such a manner. We are not taking this matter lightly.”
Lesotho’s main LGBTQ rights organisation, the People’s Matrix under Tampose Mothopeng, denied receiving eight million dollars in US funding.
Mothopeng said “We are literally not receiving grants from the US, We have no idea of the allocation of eight million (dollars), We do not know who received or is going to receive that money.
“We do not have such moneys or a contract that would even reach a quarter of half of that money.”
The US government foreign assistance website did not list any financial support for LGBTQ rights in Lesotho, a nation of 2.3 million people.
Instead, it indicated that about 120 million dollars had been spent on “health and population” programmes in the country in 2024, including $43.5-million to tackle HIV/AIDS.
BY LUCKY SEANEGO
