Eswatini's opposition criticizes the agreement with the US, calling it "human trafficking disguised as deportation."

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

Men from Vietnam, Jamaica, Laos, Yemen and Cuba to be temporarily held in kingdom

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 United States stepped up deportations to "third countries" following last month's Supreme Court acquittal. Eswatini, formerly Swaziland, is surrounded 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 detained for about 12 months, spokesman Thabile Mdluli said, adding: "It could be a little less or a little more."

She stated that Eswatini was ready to receive more deportees, depending on the availability of facilities and negotiations with the United States, which has also deported eight people to South Sudan after holding them for weeks in a container in Djibouti, and more than 200 Venezuelans to El Salvador. Officials have stated that the men, who were placed in solitary confinement, are being safely imprisoned in Eswatini. However, they have declined to disclose the terms of the agreement, except to state that the United States would cover the costs of keeping the men imprisoned and would collaborate with international organizations to deport them to their countries of origin. Many civil society organizations and politicians were not convinced. “This action, undertaken without public consultation, adequate preparation, or community engagement, raises urgent questions about the legality, transparency, and safety of both the deportees and the population of Eswatini, especially women and girls,” stated a coalition of seven women’s groups.

The organizations delivered a petition to the U.S. Embassy on Monday calling for the United States to accept the deportees back, for the deportees' human rights to be respected, and for Eswatini not to become a "dumping ground for unresolved issues elsewhere." The group's leaders held a protest outside the U.S. Embassy on Friday, where they sang, danced, and held signs with messages including: "Whose taxpayers?", "Eswatini is not a prison for America's rejects," and "Bring the five criminals back to America!" Eswatini's largest opposition party, the People's United Democratic Movement (Pudemo), said in a statement: "Pudemo vehemently condemns the treacherous and reckless decision of 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 agreement. It is an insult to all Eswatini people who value peace, security, and the sanctity of our homeland. The NGO Coordinating Assembly, an umbrella group, called the situation "deeply alarming" and condemned the "stigmatizing and dehumanizing language employed by US officials." It demanded that the agreement between Eswatini and the United States be made public and suspended pending "genuine public consultation and transparent national dialogue." Tricia McLaughlin, assistant secretary of the US Department of Homeland Security, stated in a post on X on July 16 that the men, who she said had been convicted of crimes including child rape, murder, and robbery, were "so uniquely barbaric that their home countries refused to accept them."

He added: “These depraved monsters have been terrorizing American communities, but… they are no longer on American soil.” Eswatini’s Prime Minister, Russell Dlamini, told local media on Friday that the government was confident it could safely manage the prisoners. “Eswatini currently holds inmates who have committed more dangerous offenses than those attributed to the five deportees,” he said. A correctional service spokesperson, Baphelele Kunene, said the country’s citizens should have no fear. “We can confirm that the five inmates in question have been admitted to one of our high-security facilities, where they are adapting very well to the new environment,” he said. “Although they come from the United States, they do not receive preferential treatment, as they are governed by the same prison regulations, eat the same food as everyone else, and are expected to show the same respect for prison protocols.”

The U.S. State Department’s most recent report on human rights in Eswatini, published in 2023, stated that 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 barred from participating in elections, which defenders of the system say increases the representation of MPs in their constituencies. In September, Pudemo leader Mlungisi Makhanya was allegedly poisoned in South Africa. The party claimed it was an assassination attempt, something the Eswatini government has denied. The Department of Homeland Security has been contacted for comment.