Eswatini has confirmed for the first time that it received 5.1 million dollars from the United States in exchange for accepting third country deportees. The disclosure has intensified criticism from rights groups, which have condemned the deal struck with President Donald Trump’s administration.
Details of the agreement have not been made public, and the government is facing legal action from human rights lawyers who argue that the undisclosed arrangement is unconstitutional.
Eswatini is one of several African countries that agreed to receive deportees as part of the Trump administration’s wider crackdown on illegal immigration.
The finance minister said on Tuesday that the money had been deposited into the account of the National Disaster Management Agency, but he was quoted as saying that the agency could not use the funds because they had not been allocated to it by the government. He added that the payment still needs to be regularised.
Washington has so far sent at least 15 people to Eswatini, with the agreement reportedly allowing for up to 160 arrivals.
One of the deportees has since been repatriated to Jamaica, while the rest remain in detention. Lawyers and civil society groups in Eswatini have taken the matter to court, challenging the legality of the detentions.
Faridah Abdulkadiri
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