The government of Lesotho has declared a state of disaster for the next two years, as the Southern African landlocked mountain kingdom grapples with devastating economic uncertainty triggered by the Trump administration’s tariffs.
Lesotho was hit with a sweeping 50% tariff on their exports towards the US – although it was since paused, the uncertainty has thrown the textile-heavy export economy into disarray.
The country also faces a coming disaster due to the drastic cuts on USAID: impoverished and gravely affected by the AIDS pandemic, the end of American subsidies to antiretrovirals could restart the HIV/AIDS infections, currently affecting 23.6% of the population – the second-highest in the world after Eswatini.
Economists have projected that the double whammy of tariffs and USAID cuts could cost Lesotho up to 40,000 jobs, a devastating loss for a country of 2.3 million people, heavily reliant on international aid and struggling with a 50% youth unemployment.
The ‘state of disaster’ will last until June 30, 2027, and will allow the government to quickly divert funds towards programmes mitigating the economic and social impacts of tariffs.
High youth unemployment, a resurgent AIDS pandemic, the possible devastation of the economy due to sweeping tariffs, and the lack of perspectives for young Basotho have raised fears the country could be gravely destabilized by a surge of civil unrest.
BATIRONSHARK on
see the problem isnt that Americans think we’re too important
its that we don’t
Y0___0Y on
They’re one of the poorest countries in the world. They export diamonds to the US. But because they don’t buy expensive American products equal to the price of the diamonds we buy from them, Trump hit them with a massive tariff.
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!ping AFRICA
The government of Lesotho has declared a state of disaster for the next two years, as the Southern African landlocked mountain kingdom grapples with devastating economic uncertainty triggered by the Trump administration’s tariffs.
Lesotho was hit with a sweeping 50% tariff on their exports towards the US – although it was since paused, the uncertainty has thrown the textile-heavy export economy into disarray.
The country also faces a coming disaster due to the drastic cuts on USAID: impoverished and gravely affected by the AIDS pandemic, the end of American subsidies to antiretrovirals could restart the HIV/AIDS infections, currently affecting 23.6% of the population – the second-highest in the world after Eswatini.
Economists have projected that the double whammy of tariffs and USAID cuts could cost Lesotho up to 40,000 jobs, a devastating loss for a country of 2.3 million people, heavily reliant on international aid and struggling with a 50% youth unemployment.
The ‘state of disaster’ will last until June 30, 2027, and will allow the government to quickly divert funds towards programmes mitigating the economic and social impacts of tariffs.
High youth unemployment, a resurgent AIDS pandemic, the possible devastation of the economy due to sweeping tariffs, and the lack of perspectives for young Basotho have raised fears the country could be gravely destabilized by a surge of civil unrest.
see the problem isnt that Americans think we’re too important
its that we don’t
They’re one of the poorest countries in the world. They export diamonds to the US. But because they don’t buy expensive American products equal to the price of the diamonds we buy from them, Trump hit them with a massive tariff.