Several soldiers were killed when members of the opposition group Swaziland International Solidarity Forces (SASF) invaded an army camp on Tuesday night.
The SASF has since said that its attack on the Zibonele MfelaNgudu Army Camp in the Northern Hhohho region was in retaliation for the alleged slaughtering of civilians by King Mswati’s forces.
The army of the king and his Tinkhundla government are accused of killing dozens of civilians for demanding democratic reforms.
The commander of the SASF confirmed Tuesday’s attack on the soldiers.
A live audio recording of the shooting was subsequently released to the media.
“We are engaged in an ongoing operation that is exclusively targeting Mswati’s soldiers, who have been on the streets the past weeks brutalising our people in a manner never witnessed before,” the commander can be heard saying on the audio.
“We have always been aware that the army is among those who played a very major destructive role in the massacre of our people last year.
“Now that we have brought some resemblance of discipline to the police, we are on a campaign to do the same with soldiers,” he added.
“We will continue to attack them, with the intention of doing what they are doing to our civilians, which is killing them.”
When reached for comment by Swaziland News, army spokesperson Lieutenant Tengetile Khumalo said she was in a meeting.
A questionnaire was sent to her and she acknowledged it without responding fully to it.
Information in possession of Swaziland News suggests that the SASF forces arrived at around 8pm on Tuesday and began monitoring the soldiers in the tent.
It has been disclosed that five soldiers were present.
Even though the commander of the SASF confirmed that members of the military were killed in the tent, it has not been confirmed whether all five soldiers died.
Pictured above: Swaziland Police
Image Source: Swaziland News
