Vietnamese Ambassador to South Africa Hoang Van Loi said the Vietnamese Embassy in South Africa cum eSwatini has been closely monitoring the situation in eSwatini and actively undertaking measures to protect Vietnamese citizens in the country.

Shoprite supermarket at Woodlands Shopping Center in Mbabane capital of eSwatini was looted and vandalised during the ongoing wave of protests. (Photo: VNA)

According to Loi, there are two Vietnamese citizens residing in eSwatini (formally known as Swaziland), one of who is in the capital Mbabane – an area where violent protest activities are taking place.

The ambassador had talked on the phone with the citizens in eSwatini to give them encouragement and instruct them on necessary measures to ensure their safety.

He affirmed that the embassy would roll out measures to protect citizens based on the actual situation of the area and of the citizens. The ambassador suggested that the two Vietnamese citizens in eSwatini regularly keep in touch with the embassy to receive the necessary support.

The two citizens are so far safe from the ongoing protest in the kingdom.

The protests in eSwatini began in May when students and teachers rallied against the killing of Thabani Nkomonye, a law student at the University of Eswatini after being arrested by police. The protests continued to spread to cities and rural towns with demands for political reform in the country. Peaceful protests turned violent with the military’s crackdown on June 29.

In addition, there was looting and destruction of property targeting Pick n Pay, Shoprite supermarket chains, some government agencies and ATMs..

Reports on casualties in the protests are varied, with the Southern African Development Community-SADC announcing at least one death but opposition groups reporting as many as 40 killed and more than 150 injured.

Source: VNA