‘I had never heard of Eswatini’: Deported by the US to a country that rejects them

Protests are rare in the small southern African kingdom of Eswatini, and largely repressed. But that didn’t stop more than a hundred women from gathering on July 18, 2025 in front of the US embassy in Manzini, the economic capital of the country still widely known by its former name of Swaziland. “Come out, ambassador! Come out and talk with us!” they shouted. What the women wanted to talk about was the secret arrival of foreign “criminals” who had just been transferred to Swazi prisons. Fearing for the safety of their children, the demonstrators were demanding that these prisoners be sent back to the US – where they had just been deported from. Over the course of a year, four planes have discreetly touched down in Eswatini carrying 32 migrants deported by the administration of US President Donald Trump. Wedged between Mozambique and South Africa, this country is preparing to host 160 deportees in total. Watch moreICE, Trump and Africa: Secret deals, broken lives All of them will be held in the central prison of Matsapha, not far from Manzini. In a country where daily life is still largely shaped by tradition and where few dare to question the decisions of King Mswati III, the secr...