Africa-Press – Eswatini. The deployment of soldiers is lawful in Eswatini.
Such, therefore, should not be used to tarnish the country’s image.
This was relayed by Senator Isaac Magagula, who said on Thursday some people pointed out that the deployment of soldiers was unlawful and they used that to tarnish the image of the country.
Magagula said one of the role of soldiers was to complement the police when a protest or any form of unrest appeared to overwhelm the latter.
He said it was unfortunate that some people thought when soldiers were deployed, that signified the declaration of war, yet that was not the case, especially in the case of the riot that happened in Manzini.
His sentiments were also shared by Senator Vuka Moi Moi Masilela, who said legislators enacted a law that allowed the Royal Eswatini Police Service (REPS), His Majesty’s Correctional Services (HMCS), and Umbutfo Eswatini Defence Force (UEDF) to work together when a riot seemed to overwhelm the police.
Meanwhile, Acting Prime Minister Themba Masuku was asked to clarify on what really happened when lives were lost during the June, 2021 protests. Senator Magagula said it many people believed that security services were unleashed to shoot and kill Emaswati.
However, Magagula expressed concern that it was not stated why the armed forces were unleashed. The acting premier said what happened was that the armed forces set out to address a security threat that was already taking place on the country’s roads.
However, the security services encountered difficulties as they tried to remove the people from the roads. He said some were destroying properties, such that people lost jobs and the security services had to intervene.
He said they had to use force in dealing with the security threats, such that many people lost their lives. Masuku said it was a mistake to expect the police to be linient when dealing with such dangerous situations. He said a police officer would not be friendly to a rapist who would not cooperate with them when intervening to protect the survivor.
For More News And Analysis About Eswatini Follow Africa-Press
