Lesotho declares state of disaster amid US tariff uncertainty
Lesotho was hit by higher tariffs than any other country - 50% - when they were announced by President Donald Trump in April, although they have since been paused.
Deputy Prime Minister Nthomeng Majara said the state of disaster would be in force until 30 June 2027.
Unemployment in Lesotho stands at 30% but for young people the rate is almost 50%, according to official figures.
The declaration, in line with the country's Disaster Management Act, allows the state to "take all necessary measures to... minimise the effects of disasters" among others.
The textile-dependent economy was already grappling with sky-high unemployment, especially among young people, before Trump slashed aid and raised trade barriers, according to an AFP report.
Trump's tariffs could be death knell for US-Africa trade pact
How jeans and diamonds pushed Lesotho to the top of Trump's tariffs list
US cuts visa validity for most Nigerian applicants
Lesotho was one of the biggest beneficiaries of the US's African Growth and Opportunity Act (Agoa), which gives favourable trade access to some countries to promote their economic growth.
According to the US government, the two countries traded goods worth $240m (£187m) in 2024, mostly exports from Lesotho to the US, in particular textiles and clothing.
But that ended when Trump imposed a 10% tax on Lesotho, along with other nations, earlier this year. The additional 50% was suspended.
One of Trump's aims with his tariff announcement is to reduce his country's trade deficit with the rest of the world.
The government has warned it could lose up to 40,000 jobs if Agoa is not renewed at the end of September, according to AFP.
Lesotho's Trade Minister Mokhethi Shelile told South African business news site Moneyweb last month that US buyers were "not placing orders because they don't understand what is going to happen".
The country was also hard-hit by the termination of the US Agency for International Development's (USAID) programmes around the world.
Lesotho is among those countries that benefited from the US President's Emergency Plan for Aids Relief (Pepfar), which was launched in 2003.
On the hunt for the fugitive linked to illegal South African gold mine where 78 died
Why leaving his own charity will matter so much to Prince Harry
Nine things about Lesotho - the country 'nobody has ever heard of'
Go to BBCAfrica.com for more news from the African continent.
Follow us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica
Focus on Africa
This Is Africa
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Los Angeles Times
a few seconds ago
- Los Angeles Times
U.S. deports migrants from Jamaica, Cuba, and other countries to the small African kingdom of Eswatini
CAPE TOWN, South Africa — The United States sent five migrants it describes as 'barbaric' criminals to the African nation of Eswatini in an expansion of the Trump administration's largely secretive third-country deportation program, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security said Tuesday. The U.S. has already deported eight men to another African country, South Sudan, after the Supreme Court lifted restrictions on sending people to countries where they have no ties. The South Sudanese government has declined to say where those men, also described as violent criminals, are after it took custody of them nearly two weeks ago. In a late-night post on X, Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said the five men sent to Eswatini, who are citizens of Vietnam, Jamaica, Cuba, Yemen and Laos, had arrived on a plane, but didn't say when or where. She said they were all convicted criminals and 'individuals so uniquely barbaric that their home countries refused to take them back.' The men 'have been terrorizing American communities' but were now 'off of American soil,' McLaughlin added. McLaughlin said they had been convicted of crimes including murder and child rape and one was a 'confirmed' gang member. Her social media posts included mug shots of the men and what she said were their criminal records and sentences. They were not named. It was not clear if the men had been deported from prison or if they were detained in immigration operations, and the Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement didn't immediately respond to requests for clarification. Four of the five countries where the men are from have historically been resistant to taking back some citizens when they're deported from the U.S. That issue has been a reoccurring problem for Homeland Security even before the Trump administration. Some countries refuse to take back any of their citizens, while others won't accept people who have committed crimes in the U.S. Like in South Sudan, there was no immediate comment from Eswatini authorities over any deal to accept third-country deportees or what would happen to them in that country. Civic groups there raised concerns over the secrecy from a government long accused of clamping down on human rights. 'There has been a notable lack of official communication from the Eswatini government regarding any agreement or understanding with the U.S. to accept these deportees,' Ingiphile Dlamini, a spokesperson for the pro-democracy group SWALIMO, said in a statement sent to The Associated Press. It wasn't clear if they were being held in a detention center, what their legal status was or what Eswatini's plans were for the deported men, he said. Eswatini, previously called Swaziland, is a country of about 1.2 million people between South Africa and Mozambique. It is one of the world's last remaining absolute monarchies and the last in Africa. King Mswati III has ruled by decree since 1986. Political parties are effectively banned and pro-democracy groups have said for years that Mswati III has crushed political dissent, sometimes violently. Pro-democracy protests erupted in Eswatini in 2021, when dozens were killed, allegedly by security forces. Eswatini authorities have been accused of conducting political assassinations of pro-democracy activists and imprisoning others. Because Eswatini is a poor country, it 'may face significant strain in accommodating and managing individuals with complex backgrounds, particularly those with serious criminal convictions,' Dlamini said. While the U.S. administration has hailed deportations as a victory for the safety and security of the American people, Dlamini said his organization wanted to know the plans for the five men sent to Eswatini and 'any potential risks to the local population.' The Trump administration has said it is seeking more deals with African nations to take deportees from the U.S. Leaders from some of the five West African nations who met last week with President Trump at the White House said the issue of migration and their countries possibly taking deportees from the U.S. was discussed. Some nations have pushed back. Nigeria, which wasn't part of that White House summit, said it has rejected pressure from the U.S. to take deportees who are citizens of other countries. The U.S. also has sent hundreds of Venezuelans and others to Costa Rica, El Salvador and Panama, but has identified Africa as a continent where it might find more governments willing to strike deportation agreements. Rwanda's foreign minister told the AP last month that talks were underway with the U.S. about a potential agreement to host deported migrants. A British government plan announced in 2022 to deport rejected asylum-seekers to Rwanda was ruled illegal by the U.K. Supreme Court last year. The eight men deported by the U.S. to war-torn South Sudan, where they arrived early this month, previously spent weeks at a U.S. military base in nearby Djibouti, located on the northeast border of Ethiopia, as the case over the legality of sending them there played out. The deportation flight to Eswatini is the first to a third country since the Supreme Court ruling cleared the way. The South Sudanese government has not released details of its agreement with the U.S. to take deportees, nor has it said what will happen to the men. A prominent civil society leader there said South Sudan was 'not a dumping ground for criminals.' Analysts say some African nations might be willing to take third-country deportees in return for more favorable terms from the U.S. in negotiations over tariffs, foreign aid and investment, and restrictions on travel visas. Imray and Gumede write for the Associated Press. Gumede reported from Johannesburg. AP writer Rebecca Santana in Washington contributed to this report.
New York Post
a few seconds ago
- New York Post
Trump rages against ‘weaklings' and ‘past supporters' buying into ‘Epstein hoax'
President Trump lashed out at the 'weaklings' and 'past supporters' in his base that are buying into what he called the 'Jeffrey Epstein Hoax,' fuming that he doesn't even 'want their support anymore.' Trump again sought to pin the frenzy over the notorious sex predator on 'radical left' Democrats and whined that Republicans aren't putting on a united front as he grapples with a MAGA revolt. President Trump turned against 'former supporters' who he called 'weaklings,' saying he no longer wants their support. Ron Sachs/CNP / 'Unlike Republicans, they [Democrats] stick together like glue. Their new SCAM is what we will forever call the Jeffrey Epstein Hoax, and my PAST supporters have bought into this 'bulls—,' hook, line, and sinker,' Trump raged on Truth Social Wednesday. 'Let these weaklings continue forward and do the Democrats['] work, don't even think about talking of our incredible and unprecedented success, because I don't want their support anymore! Thank you for your attention to this matter. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!' Last week, a leaked memo revealed that the Justice Department and FBI concluded that there was no evidence that Jeffrey Epstein didn't kill himself or had a client list. That conclusion sparked a storm of backlash from top MAGA stars who suspected that the Trump administration wasn't being fully upfront about Epstein despite the president's promise on the campaign trail to release the files on him.
The Hill
a few seconds ago
- The Hill
John James expresses confidence he'll get Trump endorsement in Michigan
Rep. John James (R), who is running for governor of Michigan, said he was optimistic that he would win the endorsement of President Trump in the Republican primary. 'President Trump knows that I've been in his corner, he's been in mine, and I'm excited to use this opportunity I have to help make Michigan great again,' James said during an interview with The Hill's Mychael Schnell at the Hill Nation Summit on Wednesday. An endorsement from Trump would be a key win for James in the primary field, which includes state Senate GOP leader Aric Nesbitt. James brushed off the fact that Trump has yet to offer an endorsement, noting the president is busy with a number of things including trying to achieve 'peace.' He noted he has received Trump's endorsement in the past and expressed confidence that Trump will be a supporter again.
