Africa – 6 March 2015

Lesotho elections transparent and fair, says SADC
The elections in Lesotho were transparent and fair, the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Electoral Observation Mission said on Monday.
The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) of Lesotho organised, conducted and delivered credible elections at a short notice, SADC Electoral Observation Mission (SEOM) head Maite Nkoana-Mashabane said in a statement.

Mail& Guardian

Lesotho opposition parties form coalition government
Five opposition parties in Lesotho have formed a new coalition government after snap elections over the weekend failed to produce an outright winner.
The poll was intended to ease tensions after an attempted coup last August.
The All Basotho Convention of outgoing Prime Minister Thomas Thobane came second with 46 seats.
Pakalitha Mosisili’s Democratic Congress was narrowly ahead with 47 seats and formed a majority of 61 with other smaller parties.
BBC

Former SANDF soldiers helping to fight Boko Haram
Former South African Defence Force soldiers are reportedly playing a major role in the fight against Boko Haram extremists in Nigeria after they were hired by the West African country.

SABC

Five African elections to watch in 2015
Voters will cast their ballots in 15 sub-Saharan African states in 2015. In addition to presidential polls held in Zambia in January and Lesotho in February, voters are set to cast their ballots in Burkina Faso, Burundi, the Central African Republic (CAR), Chad, Cote d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Guinea, Niger, Nigeria, Sudan, Tanzania and Togo. South Sudan’s first election since it gained independence in 2011, originally scheduled for June, has been pushed back to 2017 as a result of violence.

Daily Mavericks