Eswatini King calls for dialogue in the face of escalating protests

The king of Eswatini, the last absolute monarchy in Africa, shaken by a violent protest, called for calm on Saturday and announced that he would start

Eswatini King calls for dialogue in the face of escalating protests

The king of Eswatini, the last absolute monarchy in Africa, shaken by a violent protest, called for calm on Saturday and announced that he would start a national dialogue the day after the visit of mediators from southern Africa. But the opposition and civil society have already declined the call for talks.

Eswatini, once known as Swaziland, is a small landlocked country of 1.3 million people, where army protests are rare. "King Mswati III has announced that a process of national dialogue will begin (...)," said the king's chief representative after Incwala's annual ritual ceremonies to celebrate royalty, which begin in November and traditionally last around of one month.

 Themba Ginindza, quoted on the government's Twitter account. During Incwala, the king isolates himself and does not participate in government activities. According to Ginindza, the king demanded calm and "an end to all violence, since there can be no dialogue in such a good mood". But opposition parties and civil society organizations called the call for dialogue "a ploy to deceive the mediators". 

"We have long lost hope in these forums and will therefore not attend the meeting," it said in a statement. "We are not going to let the king, whose hands are bloodstained, decide how and when the dialogue takes place," they said. "There can be no calm or peaceful dialogue as long as the security forces continue to kill and maim people."

At least two people were killed and 80 injured on Wednesday in clashes with security forces who fired tear gas and rubber bullets, but also opened sharp fire. According to police, 37 people have died since the protests began in June, but a group of citizens, the Leftu Sonkhe Institute for Strategic Thought and Development, estimates the death toll at around 80.

"His Majesty has instructed us to offer our condolences to all those who have lost loved ones during the unrest," said Ginindza. On Thursday, the day mediators from the 16-strong Southern African Development Community (SADC) arrived, the government banned the demonstrations after severely restricting internet access the previous day, which was finally restored on Friday.

 During their two-day visit, the mediators met with the king, government and civil society groups. In a statement published on Saturday, the South African head of state Cyril Ramaphosa, currently chairman of the SADC security committee, supported the idea of ​​a national dialogue in Eswatini and called for "calm, restraint, respect for the rule of law and humanity".

 Rights in the country ". Part of all parties so that the process can get underway. Mswati III, crowned in 1986, who has 15 wives and more than 25 children, is vilified for his iron fist and lavish lifestyle in a country where two-thirds of the population lives below the poverty line.