A Royal Rumble in Eswatini
Photo Credit: Sara Atkins (Wikipedia, Eswatini)
King Mswati III, the head of Africa's last absolute monarchy, has faced pro-democracy protests since June 2021. Largely led by high school and university students throughout Eswatini (formerly known as Swaziland), the protests aim to unseat the monarchy and institute free education. How has the international community responded?
Protesters are demanding accountability.
In May, a law student named Thabani Nkomonye died under suspicious circumstances and his family, as well as youth across the country, believe that the police were responsible. The protests started as a demand for police accountability and grew into a pro-democracy movement. The government has responded with physical violence and banned people from petitioning for reforms. Reported death rates vary by media outlets, but according to Al Jazeera in August, Eswatini security forces had killed 70 protestors and arrested 600 people.
The king has closed schools.
King Mswati III closed schools indefinitely on October 16. Save the Children had expressed concerns about children's safety and was troubled by violence in schools. In a statement, Save the Children observed that, “schools have become military and police zones. Tear gas and shootings have become the order of the day. Social media is abuzz with videos and images of children running frantically from armed men. We are particularly concerned about reports that children are being directly targeted by lethal force."
What happens now?
To date, the king has not responded to calls to practice democratic principles. The world has been slow to respond to Mswati's brutal regime because of little awareness. To restrict communications and external interference, the government has intermittently shut down the internet and harmed journalists. A recent statement from United Nations Secretary General António Guterres urged the monarchy to "ensure that security forces act in conformity with relevant international human rights standards, including the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child." The people of Eswatini deserve our attention and action.
There are two major children's organizations working in Eswatini that could use our support and voices: In addition to civil unrest, the people of Eswatini have also been suffering from extreme food shortages in the small, landlocked country. One third of the country is going hungry because of pandemic-related job losses and unpredictable crop harvests. Save the Children has been working in the country, helping an estimated 23,000 children per year, since 2007. UNICEF has been present, largely focusing on health and sanitation, since the country gained independence in 1968.