Soldiers in Eswatini accidentally shoot two US government personnel

Soldiers in Eswatini accidentally shot two US government personnel last week, the Eswatini government said.

The US personnel were shot during an anti-smuggling operation by the Eswatini army in a rural region in the northeast on Friday, Eswatini’s government said on Monday.

The Americans sustained “minor injuries” and an investigation is under way, Eswatini government spokesperson Thabile Mdluli said on Tuesday.

The Eswatini government didn’t identify the US personnel or say why they were present. The US state department said it was aware of the shootings and the “affected US personnel are safe”, but also didn’t immediately identify who they were. It said it was working with the Eswatini government on the investigation.

Eswatini army spokesperson Sandile Gwebu said it was “a diplomatic issue” handled by both countries and didn’t give further details.

The Eswatini government said “the incident is being treated with the seriousness it warrants”.