Overview

• The group includes men from Cuba, Jamaica, Laos, Vietnam and Yemen convicted of serious crimes such as murder and rape.
• Eswatini’s prison system operates beyond capacity and lacks the legal framework to detain foreign high-risk prisoners safely.
• Government spokesperson Thabile Mdluli has issued no detailed comment and says officials are still gathering information.
• Since April the US has applied a 10% tariff on Eswatini imports and threatened a 30% increase to secure deportation agreements.
• This flight follows earlier US transfers of convicted migrants to South Sudan and reflects a broader push on African nations to accept deportees.