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Denver – A brutal crackdown is ongoing in the country of Eswatini in response to pro-democracy protests that began earlier this week. The assault by government forces has killed dozens of Emaswati people and resulted in widespread tortures and abductions, according to reports by Amnesty International.
Eswatini, formerly known as Swaziland, is a small landlocked country bordering South Africa and Mozambique. The country is frequently referred to as “the last absolute monarchy in Africa,” and is among one of the most restrictive governments in Africa.
Protests started recently after years of anger towards King Mswati III. According to protesters, the King has failed to implement any “meaningful reforms…in the direction of democracy” for the people of Eswatini. Currently, King Mswati III has effective control over the country’s legislature, judiciary, military forces, and regional governments through appointments of loyal tribal chiefs.
As calls for change intensified this week, government security forces responded with a vicious crackdown that has killed “at least twenty people” and has left “at least 150 protestors hospitalized for injuries,” relayed sources reporting from within the country.
An unknown number of protestors have also been detained and tortured by security forces. One Liswati shop worker reported hearing “gunshots and smell teargas” nearby, as a “strong presence of riot police and the army” moved through the streets of the capital Mbabane.
Acting Prime Minister Themba Masuku announced a nationwide curfew and the closures of schools in an attempt to quell the violence, asking for “calm, restraint, and peace” from the people. He also dismissed rumors that King Mswati III fled the country earlier this week to South Africa as the violence intensified.
Many NGOs have appealed for peace and restraint from the government of Eswatini. Deprose Muchena, Amnesty International’s Director for Southern and Eastern Africa, urged authorities to “end this escalating crackdown, and ensure that people can peacefully exercise their human rights…without fear of violent retaliation.”
The South African government also said it was “in particular concerned by reports of loss of life” as a result of the crackdown. Many activists in South Africa are petitioning for the South African government to close its embassy in Eswatini to more robustly condemn the ongoing government-sponsored attack on the Eswatini people, report South African media.
