[ISS] SADC should distinguish between this sideshow and the people of Eswatini's long struggle for democracy and human rights.

[The Conversation Africa] Two southern African countries, South Africa and Eswatini, are undergoing important reforms. South Africa is reviewing its electoral system while Eswatini is revisiting the powers of the monarch through a national dialogue.

[DW] In Africa, where many countries outlaw homosexuality, LGBT people live in fear of attacks and imprisonment.

[New Frame] Many parents near the border have sent their children to South African schools after the pandemic and mass protests disrupted local classes.

[DW] In places such as Cameroon, Guinea Bissau, Rwanda or post-coup Mali, the media's vigilance extends well beyond issues that matter to the public. Journalists are forced to watch their own backs -- and data, too.

[New Frame] In a show of power, the state is making an example of the two members of Parliament whose only sin was to call for democratic reforms to the monarchy.

[Africa In Fact] As the Southern African Development Community mission in Mozambique nears the end of its term, South Africa, as chair of SADC, called for a summit to be held on 4 and 5 April. Initially, Eswatini was included but its subsequent removal raises questions. King Mswati III agreed to a national political dialogue to address the crisis in his country during a meeting last year with President Cyril Ramaphosa.

[State Department] More information about Eswatini is available on the Eswatini Page and from other Department of State publications and other sources listed at the end of this fact sheet.

[ISS] The top-down traditional meeting between Eswatini's king and his subjects cannot be the format for serious political dialogue.

[Chatham House] With concerns growing over the proposed national dialogue in Eswatini as a response to ongoing violent protests, the international community must engage.

[CAF] South Sudan and eSwatini picked up vital first leg away wins in the preliminary round of the 2023 TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations on Wednesday.

[VOA] Harare, Zimbabwe -- Media watchdogs in southern Africa are calling on the governments of Angola, Eswatini and Zimbabwe to do more to protect press freedom following the publication of the Freedom in the World 2022 Report which says those countries are among the most oppressive authorities to media in the region.

[Cosafa] Eswatini coach Dominic Kunene named two foreign-based players in his squad for next month's Africa Cup of Nations preliminary round tie against Somalia with another seven from police team Royal Leopards, who are surprise qualifiers for the group phase of the African Confederation Cup.

[CPJ] Lusaka -- Authorities in Eswatini must immediately investigate the brutal assault by correctional officers on Nomthandazo Maseko, a reporter for the privately owned news website Swati Newsweek, and hold those responsible to account, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday.

[New Frame] In action and in speech, the ruler of eSwatini and his government refuse to listen to the mass democratic movement's demands for a genuine dialogue.

[New Frame] King Mswati III's security forces are again acting violently against student leaders across the country who remain steadfast in their demands for justice and democracy.

[The Conversation Africa] The population of Eswatini (previously called Swaziland) is slightly below 1.2 million people, and about 58.9% of the people live below the nationally defined poverty line - living on less than US$1.9 a day. For years Eswatini has also had the highest prevalence of HIV and AIDS in the world. In 2019, about 27% of the country's population was HIV positive.

[MSF] With COVID-19 vaccination coverage at around 28 per cent in Eswatini, Doctors Without Borders (MSF) is working to support the Ministry of Health's national campaign to increase coverage, by vaccinating vulnerable people in the most remote and rural communities in the Shiselweni region.

[Afrobarometer] Most Emaswati feel free to choose whom to vote into office but not free to say what they think, the latest Afrobarometer survey shows.

[Afrobarometer] Eswatini's stagnating economic growth, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, has had a devastating impact on citizens' livelihoods. After recording significant gains between 2013 and 2018, citizens' assessments of their personal living conditions have taken a nosedive, the latest Afrobarometer survey shows.

[Afrobarometer] Most Emaswati support the government's lockdown restrictions to prevent the spread of COVID-19 even though about half say they found it difficult to comply, the latest Afrobarometer survey shows.

[Afrobarometer] Citizens are more dissatisfied with the workings of Eswatini's democracy than at any time since Afrobarometer began its national surveys in the country in 2013.

[Afrobarometer] In Eswatini, support for multiparty competition has almost doubled since 2015 and is now the majority view, the latest Afrobarometer survey shows.