The undemocratic absolute
monarchy of Swaziland (eSwatini) is among a list of countries that have received arms from
the United Kingdom, the Campaign Against Arms Trade reported.
More than £16 billion (US$20.5bn)
worth of arms had been licensed by the UK over the past ten years to countries
listed ‘not free’ by Freedom House, the human rights monitoring group, the Campaign reported.
Arms worth £178,000 were
sent to Swaziland. Further details have not been released.
However, the Campaign
Against Arms Trade website lists two companies
that have applied for military export licenses to Swaziland. One was the
Safariland Group which the Campaign reported ‘is a US company
whose primary focus is law enforcement equipment. Its products include body
armour, holsters, and an extensive range of CS gas rounds and grenades under
the Defense Technology brand.’
The other firm was Boeing
which is described as ‘the second largest arms company in the world’. It specialises
in products and tailored services that include commercial and military
aircraft, satellites, weapons, electronic and defense systems, launch systems,
advanced information and communication systems, and performance-based logistics
and training.
Andrew Smith of Campaign
Against Arms Trade said, ‘It has been yet another decade of shameful arms sales
and disgraceful alliances. By arming these regimes, Downing Street [London] is
sending them a clear message of political and military support. These weapons
are not just numbers on a trade sheet, they have been used to empower
dictatorships and inflict repression on pro-democracy campaigners.’
Freedom House scored Swaziland 16 out of a possible
100 points in its Freedom in
the World 2019 report. It concluded that Swaziland was ‘not free’.
Freedom House stated, ‘The king exercises ultimate
authority over all branches of the national government and effectively controls
local governance through his influence over traditional chiefs. Political dissent
and civic and labor activism are subject to harsh punishment under sedition and
other laws. Additional human rights problems include impunity for security
forces and discrimination
against women and LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) people.’
Freedom House scored Swaziland one point out of a
possible 16 for ‘political pluralism and participation’ stating, ‘The king has
tight control over the political system in law and in practice, leaving no room
for the emergence of an organized opposition with the potential to enter
government. The vast majority of candidates who contested the 2018 general
elections were supporters of the king.’
In November 2019, it was
reported that King Mswati III, was investigating
buying weapons from Russia. Members of a Swazi delegation attended an arms
trade fair at the Black Sea city of Sochi on the opening day
of the inaugural Russia-Africa Summit.
Swaziland is a desperately poor kingdom where seven in
ten of the estimated 1.3 million population have incomes less than the
equivalent of US$2 per day. Military spending by Swaziland, according to estimates published by
the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), for 2019
was expected to reach US$87.8 million (E1.3bn in local currency). For 2017,
spending was estimated at US$88.7 million and for 2016, US$86.3 million.
The figures amount to about 1.5 percent of Swaziland’s
total gross domestic product (GDP).
Swaziland which is not a democracy has been criticised
for many years for the way state forces oppress the people. Political parties
are banned from taking part in elections and groups that advocate for democracy
are outlawed under the Suppression
of Terrorism Act. Swaziland is a landlocked country and has no disputes
with neighbours.
See also
Swaziland King
investigates possible purchase of military arms while at Russian summit
Swaziland’s massive
military spending
Swazi ‘secret arms deal
for Iran’
Swaziland ‘becoming
military state’
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