Democratic Alliance (DA) leader, John Steenhuizen, has condemned what he terms the police’s unnecessary use of excessive force against pro-democracy demonstrators in Eswatini.

This follows the Swaziland Solidarity Network’s allegations that Eswatini King Mswati, has sourced assistance from the army of Equatorial Guinea to deal with the deteriorating situation in the kingdom.

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There are allegations that soldiers are firing live ammunition at protesters and this has led to the deaths of a number of people.

The protesters are calling for democratic reforms and the release of the two arrested members of parliament.

Steenhuizen has also called on Southern African Development Community (SADeC) to envoys to act quickly.

“Let’s us condemn the abuse of force against pro-democracy demonstrations. I think government there needs to show restraint and to open up a dialogue rather than trying to suppress or quell by using violent means because that is only going to make the situation worse. I think SADeC needs to get far more involved there. I think we should resist the bringing in of troops from Equatorial Guinea and other places. It’s only gonna escalate the violence. The focus must only be on dialogue,” says Steenhuizen.

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