Trump’s secret deportations to Africa’s last absolute monarchy

This story originally appeared in Progressive International on Aug. 21, 2025. It is shared here with permission.

On 16 July 2025, five prisoners from the United States were secretly transferred to Swaziland, Africa’s last absolute monarchy. They arrived without UN oversight, parliamentary approval, or judicial scrutiny.

Only after widespread shock and outrage among ordinary Swazis did Prime Minister Russell Mmiso Dlamini concede the truth: the transfer was arranged during “high-level engagements” with Washington, and the deportees were described as “guests of His Majesty the King,” a euphemism for detainees held at the monarch’s pleasure. 

The prisoners are held at Matsapha Maximum Correctional Prison, but no one knows precisely on what charges and in what conditions, prompting significant concern from human rights groups. Civil society activists have launched a lawsuit on the matter, but there is little expectation of justice as the judiciary is commanded by the throne. Worse still, it appears that the agreement with the US is for a total of 150 prisoners, suggesting that many are yet to arrive.

The secrecy of this deal, and the fury it provoked, underscored a reality that ordinary people know too well: in Swaziland, the rule of law bends to royal decree. Parliament was never consulted, the courts were sidelined, and the Attorney General himself has declared the transfer unconstitutional, warning that it could make the country a target for violent reprisal. Yet legality means little when a king rules with absolute power.

This scandal is part of a wider pattern. Swaziland is a dictatorship in which political parties have been banned for over fifty years. King Mswati III wields sweeping executive, legislative, and judicial powers, controls an economy marked by staggering inequality, and presides over one of the most repressive regimes in Africa. The people have repeatedly demanded democracy, only to be met with lethal violence. The rebellion of 2021–2022 claimed at least 46 lives, with many more injured or forced into exile. The assassination of human rights lawyer Thulani Maseko in January 2023 was one terrible marker in a broader campaign of repression that has also included other political killings, torture, and imprisonment of activists. Regular abuses — abductions, unlawful detentions, and violent intimidation — are well documented.

Swaziland is a subcontractor of imperial power. Much like Rwanda, it functions as a U.S. proxy state on the continent. It aligns with Israel, is preparing to host an Israeli embassy even as South Africa pursues justice at the International Court of Justice, and remains the only African state to recognise Taiwan. The regime has, following Rwanda, sought advanced Israeli surveillance technology to monitor and suppress dissent, continuing its long campaign of silencing opposition. And it has deepened relations with reactionaries across the region, positioning itself as a hub for neocolonial interests in Southern Africa and beyond it. 

The transfer of U.S. prisoners is not an isolated scandal. It is part of a wider pattern in which Swaziland acts as a staging ground for imperial interests, reactionary politics, and repression. Left unchecked, more prisoners will be dumped, more deals struck, and more lives sacrificed to preserve one man’s throne.

The people of Swaziland, however, continue to struggle with courage and determination for peace, democracy, and justice. Their rebellion is inseparable from the global fight against imperialism and authoritarianism. Progressive forces worldwide must recognise Swaziland for what it truly is: a dictatorship serving imperial power at the expense of its people and the region.