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 Lesotho |  United States |
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Lesotho–United States relations arebilateral relations between theKingdom of Lesotho and theUnited States of America.
The United States was one of the first four countries to establish anembassy inMaseru after Lesotho gained its independence from the United Kingdom in 1966. Since this time, Lesotho and the United States have consistently maintained positive bilateral relations. In 1996, the United States closed its bilateral aid program in Lesotho. The Southern African regional office of theU.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) inGaborone,Botswana now administers most of the U.S. assistance to Lesotho, which totalled approximately $54 million inFY 2016. Total U.S. aid to Lesotho is over $73 million, including humanitarian food assistance.[1] ThePeace Corps has operated in Lesotho since 1967. About 100 Peace Corps volunteers concentrate in the sectors ofagriculture,health andeducation.[2] The Government of Lesotho encourages greater American participation in commercial life and welcomes interest from potential U.S. investors and suppliers.
In July 2007, the Government of Lesotho signed a compact with theMillennium Challenge Corporation to provide $362.5 million in support to develop Lesotho's water sector, healthcareinfrastructure, and private sector. The compact ended in September 2013, with approximately 1 million people expecting to benefit from its investments.[3] In 2025, during thereorganization of US tariffs, Lesotho received a 50% tariff, the highest rate of any country. Most exports to the US come in the form of textiles to be made in Jeans, including in the brandLevi Strauss & Co.[4][5]
In 2025, duringa speech to congress, Donald Trump insulted Lesotho, claiming it is "a country nobody has heard of", while announcing the ending of a foreign aid program. The Minister of Foreign Affairs Lejone Mpotjoane condemned his words, and added that close Trump associateElon Musk has business interests in Lesotho.[6][7] Mpotjoane said he was "shocked" to hear a head of state "refer to another sovereign state in this manner" when the two countries had previously had "warm and cordial" relations, according to the spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.[8]
Principal U.S. Officials include:
This article incorporatespublic domain material fromU.S. Bilateral Relations Fact Sheets.United States Department of State.
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