Military cooperation with South Africa

Almost 4.000 surplus and redundant small arms and light weapons comprising mainly AK-47 rifles seized from criminals have been destroyed during a joint Lesotho-South African operation in Benoni on the East Rand. The initiative was entitled Operation Sardien. The United States donated R150.000 to the SA National Defence Force towards the destruction of the weapons. The joint operation by Lesotho and South African security forces is in line with an agreement by Southern African Development Community countries (SADC) and the US to curb the proliferation of small arms (Mail and Guardian)