Amnesty calls latest US deportation to Eswatini 'unlawful'

Amnesty International criticised Friday the latest US deportation of 11 people to Eswatini as unlawful, accusing President Donald Trump's administration of "cruel and racist" anti-immigrant policies.

The group was flown into the tiny African nation on Wednesday, the fourth batch to arrive since July last year as part of a $5-million deal with Washington.

"The Eswatini authorities must stop facilitating these unlawful transfers," said Flavia Mwangovya, Amnesty's deputy regional director for east and southern Africa, in a statement.

The new arrivals take to 29 the number of US deportees being held in Eswatini as part of deals with several African nations to accept migrants under a third-country deportation programme.

Local sources told AFP that 10 of the latest group were from African nations while one was South American.

The rights group's statement said the deportation was "part and parcel of the Trump administration's cruel and racist anti-immigrant policies".

Eswatini says it intends to return the deportees to their countries of origin. A Jamaican and Cambodian who arrived earlier have been repatriated.

The United States must "immediately end this unlawful policy and dismantle the mass detention and deportation machine", Amnesty said.

Eswatini, Africa's last absolute monarchy, confirmed last year it had received around $5.1 million from the United States to accept 160 deportees.

Rwanda reportedly sealed a similar $7.5-million aid deal for 250 people, according to Human Rights Watch.

Other deportees were sent to the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda, or dropped off in war-torn South Sudan.