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Times of Oman
7 hours ago
- Politics
- Times of Oman
Outrage in Eswatini as US sends foreign convicts after secret deportation deal
Mbabane [Eswatini]: The arrival of five deportees from the United States to Eswatini has sparked public outrage and concern across Africa, with critics accusing the US of using the small southern African nation as a "dumping ground," CNN reported. According to CNN, the Eswatini government confirmed that five foreign nationals deported from the US are being held in solitary confinement in undisclosed prisons. Acting government spokesperson Thabile Mdluli stated on Friday that the men pose "no threat to the country or its citizens" and that "critical engagements between stakeholders are still ongoing." The deportation is the result of "months of robust high-level engagements" between Eswatini and the US, Mdluli said. However, she did not specify how long the individuals would remain in the country or when they would be repatriated, noting that "there are no timelines at present." CNN reported that the five men are nationals of Jamaica, Laos, Cuba, Yemen, and Vietnam, and were convicted of serious crimes including child rape, murder, and robbery. Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin described them as "depraved monsters" whose home countries refused to take them back. Human rights groups and opposition leaders in Eswatini, formerly known as Swaziland, have expressed alarm. PUDEMO, an opposition party, warned that accepting foreign deportees "poses a serious risk to our already vulnerable communities" that are battling high crime rates. The Swaziland Solidarity Network also criticised the move as an example of "clear racism" and said Swazi prisons are already overcrowded. CNN noted that Eswatini, a landlocked monarchy with a population of just over one million, is already struggling with poverty, unemployment, and deteriorating human rights. More than half its population lives on less than $4 a day, according to the World Bank. Eswatini's trade relations with the US have also been strained. In April, the country was included in a list of US tariffs announced by President Donald Trump, with Eswatini exports facing a 10% rate starting August 1. CNN cited sources who believe the deportation deal could be politically motivated. Government spokesperson Mdluli told CNN that Eswatini is working with the US and the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) to facilitate the eventual transit of the deportees to their countries of origin, though the terms of the agreement remain classified. According to CNN, neighbouring South Africa, which refused a US request to accept third-country deportees, fears the convicts may attempt to cross porous borders into its territory. Another South African government source told CNN that this seems to be an attempt "to destabilise South Africa," given its porous borders and Eswatini's struggling economy. One diplomatic source said the move by Washington "was a provocation" and a direct security threat to the region. Ken Opalo, a professor at Georgetown University, told CNN that African nations are under pressure from Washington to accept ambiguous deals, warning it is "foolhardy" to expect credible commitments from the Trump administration. The uproar over the deportations reflects broader concerns about sovereignty, security, and transparency in US-Africa relations, especially in smaller nations like Eswatini, already grappling with internal challenges.
Yahoo
10 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
‘Not Trump's dumping ground': Outrage over arrival of foreign US deportees in tiny African nation
Across Africa, and in the tiny nation of Eswatini, fury has erupted over the arrival of foreign deportees from the United States, after its government confirmed that migrants described by a Department of Homeland security spokesperson as 'depraved monsters' had been sent to its prisons. Roughly the size of New Jersey, Eswatini — formerly known as Swaziland — is governed by a monarch who has absolute power. On Wednesday, officials said that five deportees from the US were being held in isolated units in its jails, acknowledging 'widespread concern' but insisting the deported men 'pose no threat to the country or its citizens.' The five men are being kept in solitary confinement, acting government spokesperson Thabile Mdluli told CNN Friday, but stopped short of disclosing the prisons they were held in, citing security risks. Mdluli did not reveal how long the men would stay in Eswatini, but said: 'Critical engagements between stakeholders are still ongoing.' She had earlier stated that the deportation was the 'result of months of robust high-level engagements' between the US and the southern African nation. Critics of the move say it is unacceptable for Eswatini to be treated as a 'dumping ground' for people considered unfit to live in the US. US 'pressure' on African countries While the Trump administration's mass deportations to the prisons of El Salvador have made headlines around the world, the White House has also been quietly attempting to strike agreements with a number of African countries to accept deportees originally from other nations. President Donald Trump's aggressive clampdown on immigration has run into logistical hurdles, with some countries refusing to take back their nationals, or doing so only on a limited basis. Some of those approached by the US, such as Nigeria, have decried being pressured to take in foreign deportees. 'The US is mounting considerable pressure on African countries to accept Venezuelans to be deported from the US, some straight out of prison,' Nigeria's foreign minister, Yusuf Tuggar, said in a televised interview last week, citing Washington's announcement of increased tariffs and recent reductions in the validity of visas. The US Mission in Nigeria insisted visa changes were 'not the result of any nation's stance on third-country deportees' but rather 'to safeguard US immigration systems.' 'The Trump Administration is committed to removing criminal illegal aliens from the United States,' a White House official told CNN in a statement. 'The Administration frequently engages in conversations with foreign nations on a variety of topics, but we do not share information on private discussions.' Earlier this month, the US Supreme Court paved the way for the Trump administration to deport certain migrants to countries other than their homeland with little notice. Soon after, eight third-country deportees said by the US to have criminal records landed in South Sudan, a nation on the cusp of civil war. Who were the prisoners deported to Eswatini? DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said in a post on X Wednesday that the five detainees flown to Eswatini were nationals from Jamaica, Laos, Cuba, Yemen and Vietnam. 'This flight took individuals so uniquely barbaric that their home countries refused to take them back,' she wrote. 'These depraved monsters have been terrorizing American communities but thanks to @POTUS Trump @Sec_Noem they are off of American soil,' McLaughlin added. The prisoners were convicted of various crimes, including child rape, murder and robbery, she said. Eswatini government spokesperson Mdluli said the nation would now collaborate with the US and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) 'to facilitate the transit of these inmates to their countries of origin.' She told CNN Thursday, however, that 'there are no timelines at present' for their repatriation. Why are people outraged? Eswatini's decision to accommodate America's deportees has met with widespread public disapproval, both due to the perceived risk around their presence and the US portrayal of the nation as a 'safe third country.' The landlocked country of just over one million people is already beleaguered by poverty, unemployment, high crime rates and congested prisons. Human rights are also deteriorating, according to Human Rights Watch, following a wave of crackdowns on pro-democracy movements. More than half its population lives on less than $4 a day, according to the World Bank. Opposition party PUDEMO said accepting foreign deportees from the US 'poses a serious risk to our already vulnerable communities' which it said are 'battling a severe scourge' of crime, including rape and murder. 'Our country must not be treated as a dumping ground for those deemed unfit to live elsewhere,' the group said in a statement sent to CNN. Lucky Lukhele, of the Swaziland Solidarity Network, an exiled civil society group based in South Africa, told CNN it was 'clear racism to think Africa is a dumping ground for Donald Trump.' Lukhele said he was informed by unnamed sources that more US deportees would be sent to Eswatini, warning that 'Swazi prisons are (already) overcrowded' with prisoners who 'get one meal a day.' The Multi Stakeholder Forum (MSF), a coalition of Eswatini's civil society groups, said in a statement that the country's 'sovereignty and dignity must not be traded off for unclear deals or political expediency.' It's not clear how Eswatini stands to benefit from housing US deportees. Government spokesperson Mdluli told CNN that 'the terms of the agreement (with the US) remain classified information.' Asked whether more foreign US deportees would arrive in Eswatini, she said there was currently no information to that effect. Eswatini's trade privileges with the US came under threat in April after it was included in Trump's list of tariffs, facing a rate of 10% on its exports. Its neighbor and biggest trading partner, South Africa, was also slapped with a 30% tariff, triggering panic from Eswatini's central bank on the 'implications' for its economy. The tariffs are due to come into effect on August 1. Its intake of US deportees has similarly generated uproar in South Africa, whose relations with the US have deteriorated under Trump. A South African government source told CNN, 'There is a feeling that some inside the Trump administration could be using this (the deportation of prisoners to Eswatini) to destabilize South Africa,' given its porous borders and Eswatini's struggling economy. 'Everyone knows that these fellows (the deported convicts) will want to move to South Africa' another diplomatic source said, adding that the US 'did (ask South Africa to accept migrants) and we refused.' The source said the deportations to Eswatini were a provocation by the US and a direct national security threat. Ken Opalo, an associate professor at Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service in Washington, DC, said African nations are being pushed by the Trump administration 'into doing egregious things such as accepting migrants from random countries or giving them (the US) their mineral wealth in ambiguous deals that don't make much sense.' He cautioned: 'It's foolhardy for African countries to think that they can make deals and expect a credible commitment from the White House, given their transactional nature, which means everything is subject to change.' This story has been updated with additional developments. CNN's Mary Kay Mallonee contributed to this report. 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The Guardian
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
Migrants deported by the US to Eswatini being held in solitary confinement
Five migrants deported by the US to the small southern African country of Eswatini, under the Trump administration's third-country program, will be held in solitary confinement for an undetermined time, an Eswatini government spokesperson says. Thabile Mdluli, the spokesperson, declined to identify the correctional facility or facilities where the five men are held, citing security concerns. She told the Associated Press that Eswatini planned to ultimately repatriate the five to their home countries with the help of a UN agency. Mdluli said it wasn't clear how long that would take. The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) – the UN agency tasked with ensuring migration is managed in a way that respects human rights – said on Thursday it was not involved in the removal of the migrants from the US and has not been contacted to help send them back home. 'As always, IOM stands ready to support Member States, upon request and where operationally feasible, in line with its humanitarian mandate,' an official from the organisation told Reuters. The men, who the US says were convicted of serious crimes and were in the US illegally, are citizens of Vietnam, Jamaica, Cuba, Yemen and Laos. Their convictions included murder and child rape, according to the US Department of Homeland Security said. US officials also said the men's home countries would not take them back. Local media reported the men are being held at the Matsapha Correctional Complex, outside the country's administrative capital of Mbabane, which includes Eswatini's top maximum-security prison. Their deportations were announced by the department on Tuesday and mark the continuation of president Donald Trump's plan to send deportees to third countries they have no ties with after it was stalled by a legal challenge in the US. The US state department's most recent human rights report on Eswatini – an absolute monarchy – pointed to 'credible reports of: arbitrary or unlawful killings, including extrajudicial killings; torture and cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment by the government'. There were credible reports that some political prisoners were tortured in detention, according to the state department. Prison conditions overall varied, though facilities were plagued with overcrowding, disrepair, poor nutrition and ventilation and unchecked prisoner-on-prisoner violence. The Trump administration has been seeking to make deals with countries across the globe to accept immigrants that the US cannot easily deport to their home countries. Though other administrations have conducted third-country removals, the Trump administration's practice of sending immigrants to countries facing political and human rights crises have raised international alarm and condemnation. Earlier this month the US completed deportation of eight other immigrants to South Sudan – a country beset with political instability and a hunger crisis. Prior to landing in South Sudan, the deportees were diverted to a US military based base in Djibouti, where they had been held in a converted shipping container for weeks. More than 200 Venezuelan men that the Trump administration deported to El Salvador – most of whom had no criminal histories in the US – also remain incarcerated in the country's notorious mega-prison Cecot, where detainees have reported facing torture. There have been no details on why Eswatini agreed to take the men, and Mdluli, the government spokesperson, said 'the terms of the agreement between the US and Eswatini remain classified'. Eswatini has said it was the result of months of negotiations between the two governments. South Sudan has also given no details of its agreement with the US to take deportees and has declined to say where the eight men sent there are being held. Last week Tom Homan, the US border tsar, said he did not know what has happened to the eight men deported to South Sudan. With the Associated Press and Reuters
Toronto Star
2 days ago
- Politics
- Toronto Star
Men deported by US to Eswatini in Africa will be held in solitary confinement for undetermined time
CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — Five immigrants deported by the United States to the small southern African nation of Eswatini under the Trump administration's third-country program are in prison, where they will be held in solitary confinement for an undetermined time, a government spokesperson said. Thabile Mdluli, the spokesperson, declined to identify the correctional facility or facilities where the five men are, citing security concerns. She said Eswatini planned to ultimately repatriate the five to their home countries with the help of a United Nations agency.
The Guardian
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
Migrants deported by the US to Eswatini being held in solitary confinement
Five migrants deported by the US to the small southern African country of Eswatini, under the Trump administration's third-country program, will be held in solitary confinement for an undetermined time, an Eswatini government spokesperson says. Thabile Mdluli, the spokesperson, declined to identify the correctional facility or facilities where the five men are held, citing security concerns. She told the Associated Press that Eswatini planned to ultimately repatriate the five to their home countries with the help of a UN agency. Mdluli said it wasn't clear how long that would take. The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) – the UN agency tasked with ensuring migration is managed in a way that respects human rights – said on Thursday it was not involved in the removal of the migrants from the US and has not been contacted to help send them back home. 'As always, IOM stands ready to support Member States, upon request and where operationally feasible, in line with its humanitarian mandate,' an official from the organisation told Reuters. The men, who the US says were convicted of serious crimes and were in the US illegally, are citizens of Vietnam, Jamaica, Cuba, Yemen and Laos. Their convictions included murder and child rape, according to the US Department of Homeland Security said. US officials also said the men's home countries would not take them back. Local media reported the men are being held at the Matsapha Correctional Complex, outside the country's administrative capital of Mbabane, which includes Eswatini's top maximum-security prison. Their deportations were announced by the department on Tuesday and mark the continuation of president Donald Trump's plan to send deportees to third countries they have no ties with after it was stalled by a legal challenge in the US. The US state department's most recent human rights report on Eswatini – an absolute monarchy – pointed to 'credible reports of: arbitrary or unlawful killings, including extrajudicial killings; torture and cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment by the government'. There were credible reports that some political prisoners were tortured in detention, according to the state department. Prison conditions overall varied, though facilities were plagued with overcrowding, disrepair, poor nutrition and ventilation and unchecked prisoner-on-prisoner violence. The Trump administration has been seeking to make deals with countries across the globe to accept immigrants that the US cannot easily deport to their home countries. Though other administrations have conducted third-country removals, the Trump administration's practice of sending immigrants to countries facing political and human rights crises have raised international alarm and condemnation. Earlier this month the US completed deportation of eight other immigrants to South Sudan – a country beset with political instability and a hunger crisis. Prior to landing in South Sudan, the deportees were diverted to a US military based base in Djibouti, where they had been held in a converted shipping container for weeks. More than 200 Venezuelan men that the Trump administration deported to El Salvador – most of whom had no criminal histories in the US – also remain incarcerated in the country's notorious mega-prison Cecot, where detainees have reported facing torture. There have been no details on why Eswatini agreed to take the men, and Mdluli, the government spokesperson, said 'the terms of the agreement between the US and Eswatini remain classified'. Eswatini has said it was the result of months of negotiations between the two governments. South Sudan has also given no details of its agreement with the US to take deportees and has declined to say where the eight men sent there are being held. Last week Tom Homan, the US border tsar, said he did not know what has happened to the eight men deported to South Sudan. With the Associated Press and Reuters
