Latest news with #KingMswatiIII
The Guardian
4 hours ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
Eswatini opposition attacks US deal as ‘human trafficking disguised as deportation'
Civil society and opposition groups in Eswatini have expressed outrage after the US deported five men to the country, with the largest opposition party calling it 'human trafficking disguised as a deportation deal'. The men, from Vietnam, Jamaica, Laos, Yemen and Cuba, were flown to the small southern African country, an absolute monarchy, last week as the US stepped up deportations to 'third countries' after the supreme court cleared them last month. Eswatini, formerly Swaziland, is landlocked by South Africa and Mozambique and has a population of about 1.2 million. It is Africa's last absolute monarchy and has been ruled by King Mswati III since 1986. The government estimated the five men would be held for about 12 months, a spokesperson, Thabile Mdluli, said, adding: 'It could be slightly less or slightly more.' She said Eswatini was ready to receive more deportees, depending on the availability of facilities and negotiations with the US, which has also deported eight people to South Sudan after holding them for weeks in a shipping container in Djibouti, and more than 200 Venezuelans to El Salvador. Officials have said the men, who were put in solitary confinement, were safely imprisoned in Eswatini. However, they have refused to disclose the terms of the deal, other than to say the US was footing the costs of keeping the men locked up and that they would work with international organisations to deport them to their home countries. Many civil society organisations and politicians were not convinced. 'This action, carried out without public consultation, adequate preparation, or community engagement, raises urgent questions about legality, transparency, and the safety of both the deported individuals and the people of Eswatini, especially women and girls,' said a coalition of seven women's groups. The organisations delivered a petition to the US embassy on Monday calling for the US to take back the deportees, for the deportees' human rights to be respected, and for Eswatini not to become a 'dumping ground for unresolved problems from elsewhere'. The groups' leaders held a protest outside the US embassy on Friday, where they sang, danced and held up signs with messages including: 'Whose taxpayers?', 'Eswatini is not a prison for US rejects' and 'Take the five criminals back to the US!!' Eswatini's largest opposition party, the People's United Democratic Movement (Pudemo), said in a statement: 'Pudemo vehemently condemns the treacherous and reckless decision by King Mswati III's regime to allow the United States of America to dump its most dangerous criminals on Swazi soil. 'This is not diplomacy but human trafficking disguised as a deportation deal. It is an insult to all Emaswati who value peace, security, and the sanctity of our homeland.' The coordinating assembly of NGOs, an umbrella group, said the situation was 'deeply alarming' and condemned the 'stigmatising and dehumanising language used by US officials'. It called for the Eswatini-US agreement to be made public and to be suspended pending 'genuine public consultation and transparent national dialogue'. Tricia McLaughlin, the assistant secretary at the US Department of Homeland Security, said in a post on X on 16 July that the men, who she said had been convicted of crimes including child rape, murder and burglary, were 'so uniquely barbaric that their home countries refused to take them back'. She added: 'These depraved monsters have been terrorising American communities but … they are off of American soil.' Eswatini's prime minister, Russell Dlamini, told local media on Friday that the government was confident it would safely manage the prisoners. 'Eswatini is currently holding inmates who have committed more dangerous crimes than those attributed to the five deportees,' he said. A prison service spokesperson, Baphelele Kunene, said the country's citizens should not be afraid. 'We can confirm that the five inmates in question have been admitted to one of our high-security centres where they are responding very well to the new environment,' he said. 'Even though they come from the US, there is no preferential treatment for them as they are guided by the same prison regulations, eat the same food as others and are also expected to exhibit the same and equal amount of respect for prison protocols.' The US state department's most recent human rights report on Eswatini, in 2023, said there were 'credible reports of: arbitrary or unlawful killings, including extrajudicial killings; torture and cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment by the government; serious problems with the independence of the judiciary; [and] political prisoners or detainees'. Political parties are banned from taking part in elections, which the system's advocates argue makes MPs more representative of their constituents. In September, Pudemo's leader, Mlungisi Makhanya, was allegedly poisoned in South Africa. The party said it was an assassination attempt, which Eswatini's government has denied. The Department of Homeland Security has been contacted for comment.
Arab News
3 days ago
- Politics
- Arab News
King Salman receives written message from Eswatini monarch
RIYADH: King Salman received a written message from Eswatini's King Mswati III regarding relations between their countries, Saudi Press Agency reported on Sunday. The message was received by the Kingdom's Deputy Foreign Minister Waleed Al-Khuraiji in Riyadh during a meeting with Prince Lindani, son of King Mswati and Member of Eswatini's Parliament. Relations between the two countries and ways to develop joint cooperation in various fields were reviewed during the meeting.
The Independent
7 days ago
- Politics
- The Independent
What to know about the African kingdom of Eswatini where the US sent 5 deportees
The United States has deported five immigrants from Vietnam, Jamaica, Cuba, Yemen and Laos to Eswatini, a small country in southern Africa where the king still holds absolute power. Eswatini says it is holding the men in correctional facilities until they can be sent to their home countries, after it became the latest nation to accept third-country deportees from the U.S. Here's what to know about Eswatini: The king rules supreme Eswatini is one of a handful of countries that are still absolute monarchies, and the only one in Africa. That means the king has absolute power over government and is not just a figurehead or a ceremonial ruler. King Mswati III has ruled Eswatini since 1986, when he turned 18 and was allowed to take his place as the monarch. He can make decisions by decree. He succeeded his father, Sobhuza II, who died in 1982. The 57-year-old Mswati III has long been criticized for ruling over a government that suppresses political dissent while he lives a lavish lifestyle in one of the poorest countries in the world. The king is reported to have 11 wives and has been the subject of scrutiny for buying luxury cars. His wealth has been estimated at between $200 million and $500 million, while the World Bank says more than half of Eswatini's 1.2 million people live on less than $4 a day. No political parties Political parties were banned by Sobhuza II in 1973. Some exist now, but they are not allowed to play any role in elections or the political process and have been reduced to civic society groups. Candidates seeking public office in Eswatini's Parliament or Senate have to stand as individuals without any party affiliation and are generally approved by traditional leaders loyal to Mswati III. Pro-democracy protests have grown in recent years and Eswatini authorities under Mswati III have been accused of crushing them using the security forces. Many dissidents live in exile. Previously Swaziland The country was previously known as Swaziland but changed to Eswatini in 2018 after the king announced it should revert to its traditional name in the Swazi language. It was Swaziland when it was under British colonial rule, which ended in 1968. Severely affected by HIV Eswatini has been severely affected by HIV and has the highest prevalence in the world, with an estimated 26% of the adult population HIV positive, according to the United Nations AIDS agency. It has made significant progress in confronting that scourge but has been highly reliant on foreign aid to do that, including assistance from the U.S., which has now been cut by the Trump administration. ___
Yahoo
16-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
The US sends third-country deportees to the small African kingdom of Eswatini
CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — The United States has sent five men to the small African nation of Eswatini in an expansion of the Trump administration's third-country deportation program, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security said Tuesday. The U.S. has already deported eight men to another African nation, South Sudan, after the Supreme Court lifted restrictions on sending people to countries where they have no ties. In a late-night post on X, Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said the men, who are citizens of Vietnam, Jamaica, Cuba, Yemen and Laos, had arrived in Eswatini on a plane. She said they were all convicted criminals and 'individuals so uniquely barbaric that their home countries refused to take them back.' There was no immediate comment from Eswatini authorities over any deal to accept third-country deportees or what would happen to them in that country. The Trump administration has said it is seeking more deals with African nations to take deportees from the U.S. Some have pushed back, with Nigeria saying it is rejecting pressure from the U.S. to take deportees who are citizens of other countries. The U.S. has also sent hundreds of Venezuelans and others to Costa Rica, El Salvador and Panama. Eswatini is a country of about 1.2 million people that sits between South Africa and Mozambique. It is one of the world's last remaining absolute monarchies — and the last in Africa — and King Mswati III has ruled by decree since 1986. The country was previously called Swaziland. Political parties are effectively banned and pro-democracy groups have said for years that Mswati III has crushed any political dissent, sometimes violently. ___ More AP news on the Trump administration:
Al Arabiya
16-07-2025
- Politics
- Al Arabiya
The US sends third-country deportees to the small African kingdom of Eswatini
The United States has sent five men to the small African nation of Eswatini in an expansion of the Trump administration's third-country deportation program, the US Department of Homeland Security said Tuesday. The US has already deported eight men to another African nation, South Sudan, after the Supreme Court lifted restrictions on sending people to countries where they have no ties. In a late-night post on X, Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said the men, who are citizens of Vietnam, Jamaica, Cuba, Yemen, and Laos, had arrived in Eswatini on a plane. She said they were all convicted criminals and 'individuals so uniquely barbaric that their home countries refused to take them back.' There was no immediate comment from Eswatini authorities over any deal to accept third-country deportees or what would happen to them in that country. The Trump administration has said it is seeking more deals with African nations to take deportees from the US. Some have pushed back, with Nigeria saying it is rejecting pressure from the US to take deportees who are citizens of other countries. The US has also sent hundreds of Venezuelans and others to Costa Rica, El Salvador, and Panama. Eswatini is a country of about 1.2 million people that sits between South Africa and Mozambique. It is one of the world's last remaining absolute monarchies – and the last in Africa – and King Mswati III has ruled by decree since 1986. The country was previously called Swaziland. Political parties are effectively banned, and pro-democracy groups have said for years that Mswati III has crushed any political dissent, sometimes violently.
