The Lesothan Civil War (properly known as the Basotho Civil War, though the former name is more common) was a roughly decade long civil war in the African nation of Lesotho. Before the war, it had been one of the strongest nations in Africa, though quite isolationist. Following disputes between the government, which had rigged elections for several years, and the democratic opposition, the military took advantage of a breakdown in negotiations to launch a coup d'etat, swiftly seizing much of the nation. Following the coup, the Democratic Alliance declared war on both the government and the military. After several months of fighting, the government succeeded in controlling Maseru but lost control of effectively the entire rest of the nation. The DA (who controlled the lowlands) fought with