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King Mswati III is the absolute monarch of Eswatini
Image: Dmitry Feoktistov/TASS/picture allianceImage: Dmitry Feoktistov/TASS/picture alliance

Eswatini

Eswatini, a small, landlocked Southern African country — formerly known as Swaziland — is nestled between South Africa and Mozambique and is one of the last remaining absolute monarchies in the world.

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All Content on this topic

DW Sendung Afrimaxx | Siphephile Sibanyoni Portrait of photographer Siphephile Sibanyoni leaning against a pillar holding a reflex camera in her hand.

How this Eswatini woman decolonizes the view of Africa

Photographer Siphephile Sibanyoni and her truly African eye.
ArtsJuly 17, 202406:53 min
DW Sendung Afrimaxx

Afrimaxx - Modern African Lifestyle

All you need to know about Yoruba caps, what to do in Eswatini and Stacey-Lee May, the queen of smoke.
LifestyleMay 10, 202426:05 min
A young woman takes a selfie in front of a waterfall

Eswatini has plenty for adventurous travelers

Host and influencer Bello Nkosi shares her top five must-do experiences in the mountain kingdom.
TravelMay 10, 202405:48 min
DW Sendung Afrimaxx

Afrimaxx - Modern African Lifestyle

Fighting crime with art, weaving the past and the present and customized cakes too pretty to eat.
LifestyleApril 19, 202426:04 min
A voter casts her ballot at a polling station during the Eswatini's parliamentary elections in Mbabane, Eswatini

Eswatini, where king has absolute rule, votes for parliament

Lawmakers will serve in an advisory role to King Mswati III, Africa's last absolute monarch.
PoliticsSeptember 29, 2023
Tsai giving a speech in Taipei

Taiwan president goes to Eswatini amid pressure from Beijing

Eswatini, formerly Swaziland, is the only African state recognizing Taiwan as an independent country.
PoliticsSeptember 5, 2023
Mosambik | Provinz Nampula | Vertriebene Kinder Opfer von Terrorismus

AfricaLink on Air - 29 June 2022

Scores displaced as Mozambique Islamist insurgency intensifies
June 29, 202229:59 min
A barricade in the road that is on fire in Mbabane, Eswatini, on June 29, 2021

Security tight on Eswatini protest anniversary

Wednesday marks one year since a deadly clampdown on pro-democracy activists in the tiny southern African nation.
PoliticsJune 29, 2022
A male wild turkey calling near Elkton in southwestern Oregon

7 countries that changed their names — and why

Turkey wants to change its name. But why? When countries change names, the reason may not be immediately obvious.
PoliticsJune 2, 2022
DW Sendung | The 77 Percent - Beitrag Eddy Micah Jr.

The 77 Percent - The Magazine for Africa's Youth

On this week’s 77 Percent, young people bare their teeth at Eswatini’s King Mswati III.
SocietyDecember 1, 202126:00 min
DW Sendung | The 77 Percent - Studenten

Student protests in Eswatini

When pro-reform protests were violently put down by security forces in Eswatini, the youth are angrier than ever.
SocietyDecember 1, 202104:18 min
DW Sendung | The 77 Percent - Interview

Eswatini's youth has had enough of its king

In this week's Street Debate, Christine Mhundwa talks to young people about what they would like to change in Eswatini.
SocietyDecember 1, 202107:22 min
König Mswati III. von Eswatini

AfricaLink on Air - 28 October 2021

Demonstrations expected in Eswatini+++Impact of sanctions against Zimbabwe+++Does education matter in choosing partners?
PoliticsOctober 28, 202129:59 min
Eswatini | Protestierende in Mbabane zielen auf einen Militärhubschrauber

AfricaLink on Air - 19 October 2021

eSwatini's pro-democracy protests+Cameroonian villages form militias+Streaming hopes for Africa +Somaliland basketball
PoliticsOctober 19, 202129:59 min
Man in brimmed hat stares intently at the camera and grimaces while people mill about

Protests mount in Eswatini

Demonstrators are calling for democratic reforms in Africa's last absolute monarchy.
PoliticsOctober 15, 202103:12 min
The 77 Percent Magazine 6

The 77 Percent - The Magazine for Africa's Youth

Explore what politics means to young people across Africa, and how they relate to trends in civil society.
SocietySeptember 15, 202126:00 min
The 77 Percent

Eswatini's youth has had enough of its king

Mswati III of Eswatini is an absolute monarch above the law. Now, many young people are accusing him of abusing power.
SocietySeptember 15, 202104:17 min
Eswatini Proteste

Eswatini: King Mswati III sitting 'on a powder keg'

Pressure has increased for politcal reforms in Eswatini, the last absolute monarchy in Africa.
PoliticsJuly 6, 2021
Unruhe und Gewalt in Nigeria ARCHIVBILD

AfricaLink on Air — 05 July 2021

Mass kidnapping in Nigeria+++Brutal crackdown on Eswatini protests+++Africa plans a COVID vaccine revolution
PoliticsJuly 5, 202129:57 min
Eswatini King Mswati III

Eswatini: Anti-monarchy protests rock African kingdom

Authorities imposed a curfew amid protests calling for reform in Africa's last absolute monarchy.
PoliticsJune 29, 2021
Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon

Coronavirus digest: Scotland to enter full lockdown

Scotland's leader says she is more concerned about the coronavirus situation now that at any other point since March.
HealthJanuary 4, 2021
Nigeria Soldaten Offensive gegen Boko Haram

AfricaLink on Air 14 December 2020

Nigeria govt is negotiating release of kidnapped Katsina schoolboys+++Eswatini prime minister dies from COVID-19
PoliticsDecember 14, 202029:59 min
Medical workers arrive to visit a home of a patient suspected to be suffering from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) to carry out a swab test

Coronavirus digest: Italy death toll worst in Europe

Italy has recorded the most deaths of any European nation as more restrictive measures are considered.
HealthDecember 14, 2020
Thea and Bongani have caught a venemous black mamba and are putting it in a container with a lid for transport.

World in Progress: Snake bite prevention saves lives

Up to 140,000 people die from snakebites worldwide every year, another 400,000 are severely disabled. Most are poor people living in rural areas. But there are ways to reduce the risk. DW Reporter Laura Salm-Reifferscheidt traveled to Eswatini in Southern Africa, to find out whether snakebite prevention and treatment efforts in the small kingdom might be an example for other countries.
HealthFebruary 26, 202015:02 min
Swasiland | Proteste von Lehrern und Angestellten im öffentlichen Dienst

Protests in eSwatini

King Mswati III loves luxury, people live in poverty. Dissatisfaction grows.
SocietyDecember 12, 201904:04 min
Minky Sithole and her children fetch water

World in Progress: Bitter Sugar

Meeting sugarcane workers in Guatemala // How a woman in eSwatini is making the best of living with HIV
HealthNovember 28, 201929:59 min
Minky Sithole and her family fetch water

World in Progress: Living with HIV in Eswatini

How Minky Sithole in eSwatini faces makes the best of her life despite her HIV infection and many other challenges.
HealthNovember 27, 201907:37 min
Woman in front of polling station sign

Polls open in eSwatini, where king has absolute rule

In a country with no political parties and an absolute monarch, critics have called eSwatini's elections a sham.
PoliticsSeptember 21, 2018
Swaziland King Mswati III

Africa Link on Air - 06 September 2018

Ethiopia opens embassy in Eritrea after 20 years+++eSwatini, formerly Swaziland, celebrates 50 years of independence
PoliticsSeptember 6, 201830:00 min
The flag of Swaziland - now known as eSwatini

From Swaziland to eSwatini: What's in a name change?

To celebrate its 50th year of independence, the former Swaziland got its old name back — but not everyone is happy.
PoliticsSeptember 5, 2018
King Mswati III.

African king renames Swaziland as eSwatini

The king of the tiny African nation of Swaziland announced the kingdom's new name would be eSwatini.
PoliticsApril 19, 2018