The southern African nation of eSwatini has denied reports that its controversial monarch, King Mswati III, has left the country as protesters demand pro-democracy government reforms. In a statement issued Tuesday, Acting Prime Minister Themba Masuku said the king “is in the country and continues to lead” while citing false…
It’s been 10 days since the first reports that King Mswati III of Eswatini, right, had tested positive for COVID-19, and now southern African media outlets appear to be confirming the case. But the government insists the reports are rumors and condemned them in a statement Monday. “This is purely…
In eSwatini, prominent human rights defender Thulani Maseko confirmed Friday that leaders associated with the political opposition party People’s United Democratic Movement (PUDEMO) were taken to police headquarters in the Mbabane capital. He was one of a number of activists in the former Swaziland to condemn the action, which they…
The government of eSwatini says it’s waiting to see more evidence that King Mswati III is in possession of USD$30 million, allegedly sent to South Africa by former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi before his 2011 death and then later shipped from South Africa to his nation. Spokesman Percy Simelane told…
The Kingdom of eSwatini was abuzz Thursday as King Mswati III departed from historical precedent – at least on paper – and invited the southern African monarchy’s citizens to help choose a new prime minister. The king began a traditional “people’s parliament” known as Sibaya, held at the Ludzidzini Royal…
A new report from the Amnesty International NGO focuses on forced evictions in eSwatini, where hundreds of people have been left homeless by land policies controlled by Swazi elites. The report looks at two cases that capture the impacts of eSwatini’s land governance system, which keeps most land held in…
King Mswati III of eSwatini (formerly Swaziland) has arrived in Taiwan for a week-long visit to celebrate 50 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries – a journey not lost on officials in the People’s Republic of China, since eSwatini is the last African nation to maintain its diplomatic…
The news Thursday from the Kingdom of eSwatini was that King Mswati III announced his southern African nation will no longer be known as Swaziland. What that means in reality is that many of the roughly 1.4 million people who live there will use the same name they’ve always used,…
The leader of Taiwan arrived in Swaziland on Tuesday for a controversial four-day official visit that coincides with the 50th anniversary of independence celebrations in the southern African kingdom. Tsai Ing-wen and her delegation were greeted by King Mswati III, who then hosted a state dinner for his guests. Swaziland…
The next several days in Swaziland — Africa’s last absolute monarchy — will be paramount to determining the prospects for a semblance of democracy and the protection of basic human rights in this little known country of 1.2 million people. Starting today, Swaziland’s High Court will hear a constitutional challenge…
Jeffrey Smith is an Africa specialist at Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights. Follow him on Twitter at @Smith_RFKennedy.