AlQa'dah 4, 1435, Aug 30, 2014, SPA -- Soldiers in the southern African kingdom of Lesotho have surrounded government and police buildings in an apparent coup attempt, South African broadcaster eNCA reported Saturday, according to dpa. "Military police have surrounded State House and there are reports of gunfire," the broadcaster quoted an unnamed diplomat as saying from the capital, Maseru. A police officer inside one police station told broadcaster SABC that police were barricaded inside. There was no immediate confirmation on the whereabouts of Prime Minister Thomas Thabane. The military reportedly took a radio station off air. The unrest comes after police banned an anti-government protest planned for Monday. Thabane had been criticized over the choice of some of his advisors and diplomatic representatives. In June, the South African government said it was monitoring Lesotho over concerns about an increased military presence in Maseru. Lesotho, with about 2 million residents, is located in eastern South Africa.
