Tensions run high in Eswatini as pro-democracy protests continue

Demonstrators defy dusk-to-dawn curfew amid reports of kingdom’s security forces using ‘deadly force’.

Pro-democracy protesters in Eswatini have defied an overnight curfew to call for constitutional reforms as tensions increase in Africa’s last absolute monarchy. Demonstrations flared on Monday in the tiny and landlocked kingdom previously known as Swaziland, with protesters taking to the streets in the two largest cities of Manzini and Mbabane. The government deployed soldiers to quell the anger and imposed a dusk-to-dawn curfew on Tuesday from 6pm to 5am, citing rising coronavirus cases. Witnesses, however, continued to report unrest during the evening and night, with violent clashes between protesters and police taking place and incidents of looting reported.