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Eswatini Confirms $5.1 Million U.S. Payment for Deportee Transfers

Rights groups are mounting legal challenges over the secretive deportation arrangement.

Overview

  • Finance Minister Neal Rijkenberg said the government received $5.1 million tied to accepting U.S.-deported third‑country nationals.
  • Rijkenberg said the funds were routed to the National Disaster Management Agency and cannot be spent until formally appropriated.
  • At least 15 people flown in July and October are being held at Matsapha maximum‑security prison without charge, according to their lawyers.
  • One detainee, a 62‑year‑old Jamaican, was repatriated to Jamaica in September.
  • An unverified May 14 document reported by media says Eswatini agreed to accept up to 160 deportees for capacity‑building funds, while both governments withhold details and lawyers challenge the deal’s legality.