US Pressured Lesotho for Secret Health Aid Agreement

The US forced Lesotho to accept commercial and data sharing conditions in exchange for health aid. The secrecy of the agreement and its discussion in parliament...

Scraper SystemMay 26, 2026, 01:46 AM

In November, three-hour talks were held in Maseru, the capital of Lesotho, between government officials and representatives of the US Trump administration. The US had abruptly cut support for health programs in the country that year. Lesotho is among the countries with high rates of HIV and tuberculosis worldwide, and the cessation of US support threatened thousands of lives. The US demanded conditions such as priority in commercial collaborations, acceptance of US drug approvals, and tax exemptions for the release of future funds. Additionally, it requested 25 years of access to Lesotho's medical data, later reduced to 5 years. Officials were given only weeks, and the agreement was described by some parliamentarians as coercive and threatening. The US Embassy announced the signing of the agreement; the US would provide $232 million in health aid over five years, while Lesotho would contribute $132 million. However, the signing of the agreement without parliamentary discussion and the secrecy of the text drew criticism. It remains unclear who will oversee the implementation of the agreement, whether it will affect existing international agreements, and its compliance with confidentiality laws. The US State Department stated that talks with Lesotho were friendly and that the agreements did not impose obligations to prioritize US companies. However, some annexes of the agreement were hidden, and provisions on data sharing continue to raise concerns. Some officials in Lesotho confirmed that the US applied pressure during the agreement process. With the new implementation, the US will gradually reduce health aid and expect Lesotho to increase its contribution. While Lesotho faces economic difficulties, it will have to allocate about a year's worth of its health budget to this additional contribution.

US Pressured Lesotho for Secret Health Aid Agreement

The US forced Lesotho to accept commercial and data sharing conditions in exchange for health aid. The secrecy of the agreement and its discussion in parliament...