By Zweli Martin Dlamini

MBABANE: King Mswati, an absolute Monarch, has appealed to the Southern African Development Community(SADC) and the entire international community to assist eSwatini fight what he described as terrorism masquerading as an initiative that seeks democratic reforms.

Addressing Heads of State during the SADC Troika Extraordinary Summit held in Namibia on Tuesday, the King, who was represented by his Prime Minister Cleopas Dlamini said the campaign was designed to undermine trust in public institutions,instil fear amongst the general populace and to create general disorder. 

“EmaSwati have been killed or injured during this violence. Businesses have been burnt down. Private and public facilities, including schools, private homes, health facilities and police stations, amongst others, have been targeted and destroyed through arson attacks. Schoolchildren have been targeted to commit acts of violence against schools and teachers.Investigations into all these killings have been instituted, and Government will leave no stone unturned in finding the perpetrators and bringing them and the criminals associated with them to justice.We call upon SADC and the international community to reach out to sponsors and supporters of the extremists responsible for the violence in the Kingdom of Eswatini, to suspend hostilities and enable dialogue to proceed. We urge SADC to condemn all the killings of all emaSwati who have died in the recent spate of violence,” said the King who was represented by the Prime Minister.

On another note, SADC Troika urged eSwatini Government to urgently initiate the process of a national dialogue.