By Abdoulie John
As the chorus of recriminations continues to amplify, the Kingdom of Eswatini has strongly rebuked civil society groups for denouncing the deportation of migrants from the United States, describing the move as “inaccurate and misleading.”
Speaking last Thursday at the ongoing 85th ordinary session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR), currently underway in Banjul, the plenipotentiary of the Kingdom of Eswatini to Ethiopia, Mahlaba Ali Mamba, unequivocally stated that some NGOs are taking positions “without firsthand engagement or presence in the country.
The Trump administration signed a ‘safe third country’ agreement this year with Eswatini, Ghana, and South Sudan, greenlighting the deportation of ‘undocumented migrants’ to these countries. A massive pushback ensued as civil society groups have rubbished the agreement.
Ambassador Mamba reiterated the Eswatian government’s commitment to “transparency, constructive dialogue, and cooperation with bona fide partners and human rights institutions, including this esteemed Commission, in the spirit of fairness and mutual respect.”
He then added: “This agreement was concluded based on the fact that Eswatini reserves the right to exercise its sovereignty.”
According to him, the total number of deportees stands at 14, contradicting claims made by a good number of NGOs that attended the ACHPR ordinary session.
However, in September this year, a top diplomat vehemently reacted to the deportation of a Gambian (and Nigerians) to Ghana.
“We did not request Ghana to receive our nationals. We intend to engage Ghanaian authorities further on this matter,” he told this reporter in response to a request for comment.
These concerns were expressed by many human rights institutions that condemned the arbitrary deportation of Africans in complete disregard of US immigration law.
To many observers, the decision taken by Eswatini, Ghana, and South Sudan to endorse the ‘safe third country’ programme confers validity to Trump’s push to erode immigrant due process rights.
In the face of these mounting challenges, the Chairperson of the Network of African National Human Rights Institutions (NANHRI), Dr. Joseph Whittal, emphasized the need for campaigners to close ranks and ensure that human rights are “at the center of Africa’s development agenda.”
“As National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs), we bear a solemn responsibility to monitor state compliance with regional and international obligations, promote access to justice, and give a voice to the most vulnerable among us,” he voiced during the opening of the NGOs Forum that preceded the ACHPR session, which is underway at the Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara International Conference Center in Bijilo.
