SWAZILAND (Eswatini)

Autonomy for the Swazis of southern Africa was guaranteed by the British in the late 19th century; independence was granted in 1968. Student and labor unrest during the 1990s pressured King MSWATI III to grudgingly allow political reform and greater democracy, although he has backslid on these promises in recent years. A new constitution came into effect in 2006, which included provisions for a more independent judiciary, but the legal status of political parties was not defined and their status remains unclear. King MSWATI III renamed the country from Swaziland to Eswatini in April 2018. Eswatini has surpassed Botswana as the country with the world's highest known HIV/AIDS prevalence rate.