The southern African kingdom, ruled by King Mswati III, has faced sharp criticism from rights groups for entering into the deportation agreement with President Donald Trump’s government.
Questioned in Parliament on Monday, Finance Minister Neal Rijkenberg confirmed that Eswatini had received the payment from the US.
Speaking to Channel Africa, Professor Loren Landau, Governance Expert at the African Centre for Migration & Society at South Africa’s Wits University, said the arrangement mirrors a pattern already seen in Europe.
“We’re seeing the US doing something that Europe has also been doing for the last decade,” Landau said.
“Europe has made deals with Turkey and Rwanda. The United Kingdom tried to do this and was blocked on human rights grounds. What we’re seeing now is the US trying to dump its unwanted immigrants at various points across Africa. eSwatini is just one of many taking payments from the US to do this work.”
–SABC/ChannelAfrica–
