Critics of the move say it is unacceptable for Eswatini to be treated as a “dumping ground” for people considered unfit to live in the US.

The United States has deported five immigrants from Vietnam, Jamaica, Cuba, Yemen and Laos to Eswatini, a small country in southern Africa where the king still holds absolute power.

Nigeria’s foreign minister Yusuf Tuggar said last week that Washington had put “considerable pressure” on several countries, including Nigeria, to accept deportees but that Nigeria already had 230mn ...