Eswatini said Monday its military forces mistakenly shot two U.S. government workers in the African country last week.
The incident occurred during an anti-smuggling operation by the Eswatini army in the country’s northeast region. Details remain scarce, with Swaziland News reporting that the soldiers accidentally shot a U.S. diplomat at a military roadblock because they thought criminals were illegally avoiding the roadblock.
A State Department spokesperson said all “affected U.S. personnel are safe” and emphasized that the Trump administration’s focus is on the safety and security of Americans. The State Department said it is working with the government of Eswatini to investigate the circumstances surrounding the incident.
Eswatini government spokeswoman Thabile Mdluli told the Associated Press that the U.S. personnel sustained “minor injuries.” The African government called the incident “a diplomatic issue” being handled by both countries.
“The U.S. Embassy is aware of the shooting incident in the Maphiveni area of the Lubombo region on Friday night,” a spokesperson for the U.S. Embassy in Eswatini said. “We are in contact with the relevant authorities and are working to establish the facts surrounding the incident. The safety and well-being of U.S. citizens remain our highest priority. We are unable to provide further details at this time.”
Eswatini, formerly known as Swaziland, has an absolute monarchy under King Mswati III.
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The small, landlocked kingdom in Southern Africa is one of the many countries on the continent that have come under Chinese influence, as evidenced by Beijing’s successful blocking of Taiwanese President William Lai from visiting Eswatini earlier this year.
“This is yet another case of Beijing waging its intimidation campaign against Taiwan and Taiwan’s supporters around the world, abusing the international civil aviation system, and threatening international peace and prosperity,” a State Department spokesperson told the Washington Examiner at the time. “We urge Beijing to cease its military, diplomatic, and economic pressure against Taiwan and instead engage in meaningful dialogue.”