EXPERT COMMENT
With concerns growing over the proposed national dialogue in Eswatini as a response to ongoing violent protests, the international community must engage.
Protests in the kingdom of Eswatini which first started back in May 2021 - and in which scores of citizens have died - have continued into 2022, creating increased domestic pressure to address longstanding demands for democratic reforms.
But critics are sceptical that the announced sibaya' - a process by which citizens' views are collated by traditional leaders before a national gathering at the king's own kraal' - will be a genuine platform for discussion, and instead see it as just a means for the monarch to reassert authority.
Although the primacy of domestic stakeholders in national political processes must be sacrosanct, given the context in Eswatini of a polarized political landscape and a significant trust deficit, the international community must play an important role in supporting a constructive and meaningful process.
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