Eswatini opposition attacks US deal as ‘human trafficking disguised as deportation’

Civil society and opposition factions in Eswatini have voiced anger following the US’s deportation of five men to the nation, with the main opposition party labeling it as “human trafficking masquerading as a deportation agreement.”

Last week, men from Cuba, Yemen, Laos, Jamaica, and Vietnam were transported to the small southern African nation, an absolute monarchy, as the US increased deportations to “third countries” following the supreme court’s approval last month.

Eswatini, previously known as Swaziland, is surrounded by South Africa and Mozambique and has a population nearing 1.2 million. Africa’s final absolute monarchy, Eswatini, has been under the leadership of King Mswati III since 1986. She stated that Eswatini is prepared to accept additional deportees, contingent on the availability of facilities and discussions with the US, which has similarly deported eight individuals to South Sudan after detaining them for weeks in a shipping container in Djibouti, along with over 200 Venezuelans to El Salvador.

Authorities have reported that the individuals, placed in isolation, are securely detained in Eswatini. Nonetheless, they have declined to reveal the specifics of the agreement, except to mention that the US was covering the expenses of holding the men in custody and that they would collaborate with international organizations to repatriate them to their countries of origin.

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 from the US Department of Homeland Security announced on July 16 that five men deported to Eswatini, convicted of serious crimes including child rape and murder, were denied acceptance by their home countries. Eswatini’s Prime Minister Russell Dlamini expressed confidence in their management, asserting that the country houses more dangerous criminals. Prison service spokesperson Baphelele Kunene confirmed that the five inmates are adjusting well in a high-security center with no preferential treatment. Meanwhile, a 2023 US human rights report highlighted issues in Eswatini, including torture and political repression.