Lobamba – Government has confirmed that Eswatini received over 5 million dollars from the United States for accepting foreign nationals deported from America, a deal that has drawn strong criticism from civil society and triggered legal action in local courts.
Finance Minister Neal Rijkenberg told parliament that Eswatini received 5.1 million dollars after the US transferred the funds under an arrangement linked to individuals labelled as high risk by Washington. He said the ministry only discovered the purpose of the payment after making enquiries.
The confirmation follows months of questions surrounding an agreement reportedly allowing Eswatini to accept up to 160 deportees. Human Rights Watch previously stated it had seen documents showing the money was intended to boost the country’s border and migration management capacity.
Eswatini has so far received two groups. Five men were brought into the country in July, followed by another ten in early October. One of the deportees, a Jamaican national who had served a murder sentence in the US, was later repatriated to Jamaica. Government acting spokesperson Thabile Mdluli said discussions were continuing to return the remaining deportees to their countries of origin.
Rijkenberg told MPs that the money had been channelled into the National Disaster Management Agency’s account, but the agency could not use the funds because they had not been formally appropriated. He said the issue still needed to be regularised.
Lawyers and civil society organisations have taken the matter to court, challenging the legality of the detentions and the process that led to Eswatini accepting the deportees. Government is defending the case, arguing it had the authority to enter the agreement.
The deportees are being held without charge at the Matsapha Maximum Correctional Facility. Their lawyers say the conditions mirror those often faced by political detainees. The US described some of the men as depraved monsters, saying they had been convicted of crimes ranging from murder to child rape in countries including Jamaica, Cuba, Laos, Vietnam and Yemen.
The issue has also drawn attention beyond Eswatini. South Africa raised concerns that the men could cross into its territory due to the porous nature of the border.
Government has not yet disclosed who signed the agreement on behalf of Eswatini, while Mdluli said any future acceptance of additional deportees would depend on further engagements with the US and available capacity.
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