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Lesotho’s foreign minister, Lejone Mpotjoane, expressed the nation’s shock at US President Donald Trump’s derisive remarks about the southern African country, emphasising that they are “not taking this matter lightly.” Trump described Lesotho as a place “nobody has ever heard of” while defending his substantial cuts to aid during a congressional address, specifically mentioning a previous US aid initiative of “eight million dollars to promote LGBTQI+ in Lesotho.”
According to reports, the Lesotho government felt “shocked and embarrassed” by Trump’s comments, with the foreign minister noting that such disrespectful language from a head of state towards another sovereign nation was unexpected. Lesotho has a US embassy in its capital, Maseru, and American volunteers participate in the Peace Corps program there.
Mpotjoane announced plans to send an official protest letter to Washington, stressing the seriousness of the situation. Meanwhile, Lesotho’s main LGBTQ rights organization denied having received any funding from the US, and it was unclear which specific program Trump was referencing. According to spokesperson Tampose Mothopeng, the country is not receiving any grants from the US and lacks information about the claimed eight million dollars.
The US government’s foreign assistance website does not list any funding for LGBTQ rights in Lesotho, which has a population of 2.3 million. Instead, it shows approximately USD 120 million allocated to “health and population” initiatives in 2024, including USD 43.5 million to combat HIV/AIDS.
Lesotho has one of the highest rates of HIV infection globally, with nearly one in four adults living with the virus. Since 2006, the US has invested over USD 630 million in anti-HIV/AIDS programs in the country, according to the US embassy. However, over 30 NGOs warned in mid-February that the country’s HIV programs faced collapse due to the loss of US foreign aid. Following Trump’s decision to halt nearly all US foreign aid in early February, volunteers in Lesotho were instructed to cease any HIV-related prevention activities.
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Lesotho is distinctive for being the only independent nation entirely above 1,000 meters in elevation, classifying it as a highland country. It is also landlocked, surrounded entirely by South Africa, similar to Vatican City and San Marino, which share this unique geographical characteristic.
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