MBABANE – Eswatini asks the African Union (AU) to turn warnings into action as His Majesty King Mswati III says delays in responding to conflicts are costing African lives
The King has challenged the African Union to act on conflict warnings before violence erupts, saying delays between knowing and acting are costing lives.
Speaking on behalf of His Majesty King Mswati III at the 21st Extraordinary Session of the AU Summit of Heads of State and Government in Luanda, Angola, Prime Minister (PM), Russell Dlamini, said the continent did not lack information on emerging conflicts.
Instead, he said, the problem was failing to act on that information early enough.
“What we are here to fix is not a shortage of information. It is the distance between knowing and acting. That distance is where people die,” the King said.
The King said warning signs usually appeared long before violence, providing opportunities for dialogue and preventive action.
He said conflicts often grew from ideological differences and intolerance, as well as competition over water, grazing land and other scarce resources.
Climate stress and migration, he said, should also be treated as potential triggers of instability rather than simply background conditions.
For Eswatini, he said, prevention should include cross-border arrangements for managing shared water and grazing resources, lawful migration channels and coordinated land-use planning.
“These measures uphold sovereignty, promote peaceful coexistence and provide a practical and cost-effective means of preventing disputes before they escalate into conflict,” His Majesty King Mswati III said.
Tough stance on coups
The monarch also called for the AU to be consistent in dealing with unconstitutional changes of government.
He said coups had returned to the continent too frequently to be treated as exceptions, citing Article 30 of the AU Constitutive Act.
“Governments that come to power unconstitutionally shall not participate in our affairs,” he said.
“The instrument is not the problem. Our consistency in applying it is.”
The King said the AU should suspend unconstitutional governments without delay and demand credible timelines for a return to civilian rule.
“The surest way to invite the next coup is to let the last one go unanswered,” His Majesty warned.
Six demands
His Majesty King Mswati III challenged the Summit to leave Luanda with decisions rather than another declaration.
He proposed six measures: treating dialogue as an early conflict-prevention mechanism; requiring an automatic AU Peace and Security Council session within days of every early-warning alert; restoring the Panel of the Wise to a standing early-engagement role; properly resourcing the African Standby Force; funding prevention through the proposed billion-dollar Peace Fund; and strengthening coordination with regional mechanisms including SADC, ECOWAS and IGAD.
The King said Eswatini’s experience demonstrated the need for faster action.
Eswatini currently chairs the SADC Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation and serves on the AU Peace and Security Council.
He said Eswatini’s early-warning systems produced good analysis, but the information did not always translate into timely action.
“Addis Ababa and our regions too often reach the same conclusion days or weeks apart. That gap is measured in lives,” he said.
King’s message delivered
MBABANE – On the sidelines of the Summit, the Prime Minister (PM), Russell Dlamini, also met AU Commission Chairperson Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, delivering a message of solidarity from King Mswati III.
On behalf of His Majesty King Mswati III, he reaffirmed Eswatini’s commitment to supporting AU efforts to prevent and peacefully resolve conflicts and said the Kingdom was ready to work closely with the continental body.
Through the PM, the King also called for stronger cooperation between the AU, SADC, the United Nations and other stakeholders to ensure coordinated approaches to conflict prevention, management and resolution.
Youssouf welcomed the message and paid tribute to King Mswati III for his leadership and continued commitment to peace and stability in Africa.
He commended Eswatini’s contribution to peace and stability and welcomed the Kingdom’s readiness to strengthen cooperation with the AU.
The AUC Chairperson said the King’s proposals would receive due consideration, noting that they were consistent with the AU’s mandate and objectives.
He also recognised SADC’s contribution to regional development, peace, security and preventive diplomacy.
Peace award
Eswatini’s intervention comes after the AU’s Political Affairs, Peace and Security Department honoured the Kingdom earlier this year with an award for Effective Governance – Peace Division.
The King, through the PM, told the Summit that Eswatini remained ready to contribute to the reform of the continent’s peace and security architecture.
“Prevention is not peacekeeping’s modest cousin,” he said. “It is the only peace this continent can afford and the only peace our children will thank us for building.”
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