Upon learning United States President Donald Trump was looking for African nations to take in deported third-country migrants, Eswatini was among the first to volunteer. Now lawyers in the southern African kingdom are challenging the legality of the deal, as deportees speak out about the conditions of their detention. So far, 19 migrants deported from the US have been detained in a prison south of the capital Mbabane. Two of the 19 have so far been released and repatriated. Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Ghana, Rwanda and South Sudan have also agreed to accept deportees, with Sierra Leone the latest African country to follow suit. More than 40 deportees in total have been sent from the US to Africa as part of these agreements. Follow us on WhatsApp | LinkedIn for the latest headlines The US was Eswatini’s largest single external donor in 2024, according to US...

  Senegal Leadership Shake-Up Raises Fears of Political Instability  Senegal’s President Bassirou Diomaye Faye has fired Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko and dissolved the government after months of tension. Recent months have seen rivalry mount between the two men, who teamed up to defeat the former ruling party’s candidate in presidential elections in March 2024. Sonko had backed Faye in the 2024 election after being barred from running himself due to a defamation conviction. Faye then appointed Sonko as prime minister. The split comes as the country faces mounting economic pressure, with its public debt having reached the equivalent of 132% of its GDP, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Political analysts have warned that his firing raises the possibility of a power struggle between the president and Sonko, whose party dominates in parliament. No details were provided on the appointment of a new prime minister. Zimbabwe Opposition Leader Linda Masarira...

Water and Sanitation Minister Pemmy Majodina will host and officially welcome her counterparts from Eswatini and Mozambique at the inaugural Council of Ministers Meeting of the Incomati and Maputo Watercourse Commission (INMACOM) on Friday, 5 June, in Boksburg, Johannesburg. The meeting will bring together Eswatini’s Minister for Natural Resources and Energy, His Royal Highness Prince Lonkhokela Dlamini, and Mozambique’s Minister of Public Works, Housing and Water Resources, Fernando Rafael — marking a significant milestone in regional cooperation on the management of shared water resources. The historic gathering marks an important milestone in regional cooperation on shared water resources between South Africa, Eswatini and Mozambique. “Bringing Ministers of the three Member States together at this level reflects a shared commitment to strengthening cooperation, deepening partnership and advancing a common vision for the sustainable management of the region’s shared water resources,” the department said. Keep up with the latest headlines on WhatsApp...

Seoul — Somalia’s Foreign Minister Ahmed Moallim Fiqi met with Eswatini’s Minister of Economic Planning and Development, Thambo Gina, on the sidelines of the Korea-Africa Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Seoul, where the two officials discussed strengthening bilateral relations and expanding cooperation between their countries. According to Somalia’s Foreign Ministry, the talks focused on enhancing diplomatic ties and exploring areas of mutual interest to deepen collaboration between the Federal Republic of Somalia and the Kingdom of Eswatini. During the meeting, Gina reaffirmed Eswatini’s support for Somalia’s sovereignty, unity, territorial integrity and political independence, the ministry said. The two ministers also underscored their commitment to promoting African unity, mutual respect and closer cooperation on shared priorities and common interests. The meeting took place as African nations seek to bolster diplomatic and economic partnerships through regional and international forums, including the Korea-Africa Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, which brings together officials to discuss development, trade...

Fresh from another May Day assault, pro-democracy activists and organised labour look set to commemorate the fifth anniversary of the 2021 massacre. Despite a huge fan base, from Southern Africa to Taiwan and the United States, Mswati’s record on human rights is anything but exemplary. Fingers point at the king and his government for the many cases of bullying and mysterious deaths, including those of Maseko, Thabani Nkomonye and Sipho Jele, who died in custody, and the targeting of groups such as the LGBTI+ community. King Mswati III is basking in infrastructure development as he marks 40 years on the throne in eSwatini, a landlocked kingdom of 1.5 million people. Cheers are flowing in. Blue chips, from Standard Bank to Nedbank, and the region’s top brass, are singing the king’s praises. Dejected activists, some of who now live in exile, look on helplessly, struggling to re-claim the discourse even as...

Five years since violent protests shattered Eswatini’s calm, King Mswati III has done nothing to address the causes. In April this year, King Mswati III of Eswatini lavishly celebrated his ruby jubilee, marking 40 years on the throne of sub-Saharan Africa’s last absolute monarchy. Millions of emalangeni were spent on a big party at the plush new Ezulwini Palazzo Hotel. Several Southern African presidents and ex-presidents attended, as did Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te (Eswatini is the last African country to recognise Taiwan, rather than China). Keep up with the latest headlines on WhatsApp | LinkedIn Many businesses, including state-owned enterprises, gave the king generous gifts. Bheki Makhubu, editor of the independent magazine The Nation, told ISS Today, a little wryly perhaps, that: ‘Eswatini is peaceful and quiet; the king just celebrated 40 years on the throne and opened a hotel of Las Vegas standards.’ On the surface, the king appeared...