Eswatini kingdom imposes curfew, army deployed to quell protests
Mswati III, king of eSwatini (formerly Swaziland) is the last absolute monarch of the continent, here in October 2019. AFP - LUDOVIC MARIN
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The kingdom of Eswatini, until recently known as Swaziland, on Tuesday (June 29th) announced a curfew as the army was deployed to quell pro-democracy youth protests.
Clashes pitted the police against pro-democracy demonstrators on Monday evening, June 28.
Protesters said police and military opened fire on them.
In power for 35 years, King Mswati III is currently in South Africa.
The opposition says he fled there following the mobilization and promise to intensify their demonstrations.
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The riots started last Saturday, and since then, they are growing a little more each day.
According to Amnesty International, pro-democracy demonstrators are calling for far-reaching reforms, freedom of political expression and association of which they have been deprived for nearly 35 years, when the last absolute monarch of the continent, the king, came to power. Mswati III.
Throughout the country strong mobilisations broke out, and the response of the authorities is brutal.
The images that reach us show soldiers deployed in the towns where the insurgency is taking place.
According to local media and opposition parties, the army and police fired live ammunition at the crowd on Monday evening, only one death has been confirmed to us for the moment.
The Secretary General of the United People's Democratic Movement (PUDEMO), Wandile Dludlu, estimates that more than 200 people have been injured, including around 15 in critical condition.
Finally, a communication battle is currently opposing the opposition and the government, some claim that the king fled to South Africa in the face of the mobilization, others that he is in his palace and continues to manage current affairs.
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Eswatini (ex-Swaziland)