2 U.S. government workers accidentally shot by soldiers during anti-smuggling operation in Eswatini

Soldiers in the African nation of Eswatini accidentally shot two U.S. government personnel last week, the country’s government said.

The U.S. personnel were shot during an anti-smuggling operation by the Eswatini army in a rural region in the northeast of the country late Friday, Eswatini’s government said in a statement late Monday.

The Americans sustained “minor injuries” and there was an investigation underway, Eswatini government spokesperson Thabile Mdluli told The Associated Press on Tuesday.

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

Army sources told Swaziland News that the soldiers accidentally shot a U.S. diplomat at a military roadblock. The sources told the outlet that soldiers were unaware that a car that made a U-turn next to a military roadblock was driven by an American diplomat and thought someone was illegally avoiding the roadblock.

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

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

Eswatini is a small kingdom of around 1.3 million people on the border between South Africa and Mozambique. It is ruled by King Mswati III, who holds supreme political power and is Africa’s last absolute monarch.