King mswati iii
eSwatini activist arrested for destroying king's photo
Colani Maseko, head of the national student union, is accused of removing pictures of the king from a university campus and destroying them, police said.
Efforts are being made to hold talks after violent protests rocked the country in recent weeks.
Pro-democracy movements have called for an inclusive and open dialogue, with months of protests having rocked Africa’s last absolute monarch.
Workers, civil servants and even high-school students have taken to the streets, clashing with police in the tiny Southern African kingdom.
Eswatini has been the scene of pro-democracy demonstrations for several months, as protesters demand political reforms.
Formerly known as Swaziland, the country has been rocked by demonstrations that broke out in June and have prompted authorities to deploy the army and shut down the internet.
Formerly known as Swaziland, Africa's last absolute monarchy has been rocked by demonstrations that prompted authorities to deploy the army and throttle the internet.
Citizens have been protesting against his rule and officials said at least 28 people have lost their lives, while schools remain shut. The people's United Democratic Movement's Wandile Dludlu.
A demonstrator shot by security forces died in hospital on Thursday from gunshot wounds suffered the day before, when security forces opened fire on a protest, according to unions.
Eswatini security forces used live ammunition to break up a pro-democracy protest by nurses, shooting at least 30 of them, their union said Thursday.
Citizens are demanding the resignation of the king in the kingdom formerly known as Swaziland.
This follows a decision by the monarch to shutdown schools indefinitely amid pro-democracy protests, which have once again flared up in Eswatini.
Unions, opposition parties and student groups have joined the latest new wave of unrest, which have mainly called for the release of two lawmakers arrested during protests earlier this year.
Tensions boiled over after security personnel clashed with protesting school pupils and civil society organisations, resulting in government shutting down schools indefinitely as the country faces a fresh wave of pro-democracy protests.
eSwatini has been on high alert amid weeks of rolling mass action calling for an end to the regime under King Mswati III.
King Mswati III has been facing increasing anger for decades. Activists allege that he has repeatedly ignored calls for reforms that would move Eswatini forward.
School students have been boycotting classes and staging low-key protests across the landlocked southern African kingdom, prompting the deployment of soldiers and police.
Demonstrators accuse Africa’s last remaining absolute monarch, King Mswati III, of human rights abuses and leading a repressive government.
In his first public address since violent demonstrations broke out in the kingdom last month, King Mswati III announced that former pension fund boss Cleopas Dlamini would replace Prime Minister Ambrose Dlamini, who died in December after contracting COVID-19.