MBABANE: A Jamaican man deported from the United States to the southern African country of Eswatini two months ago has been repatriated to Jamaica, Eswatini’s government said.
The man, named in the government statement as Orville Isaac Etoria, was one of five third-country nationals deported to Eswatini in July by the Trump administration as part of its crackdown on illegal immigration.
The other four — from Cuba, Laos, Vietnam and Yemen — are still being held in detention there while efforts to repatriate them are ongoing, Eswatini’s government said.
“Mr Etoria has safely returned to Jamaica, where he was warmly welcomed by members of his family,” said the Eswatini government statement issued on Monday.
He was repatriated on Sunday of his own volition, it said. President Donald Trump aims to deport millions of immigrants in the US illegally and his administration has sought to ramp up removals to third countries, including South Sudan and Ghana.
The US Department of Homeland Security said in July that the five individuals sent to Eswatini, who were all convicted criminals, were “so uniquely barbaric that their own countries won’t take them back.” Etoria had been convicted of murder, it said.
But Eswatini’s government said shortly after that some of the countries had reached out to say it was not true that they had rejected their citizens. Critics say the US removals to third countries aim to stoke fear among migrants and encourage them to “self deport” to their home countries rather than be sent to distant places they have no connection with.
Etoria, who arrived in the US as a child, had already served a 25-year sentence for his crime and been released when he was deported and imprisoned again in Eswatini without due process, according to the New York-based Legal Aid Society.
Eswatini says Jamaican man deported by US has been repatriated
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Eswatini says Jamaican man deported by US has been repatriated
- The man, named in the government statement as Orville Isaac Etoria, was one of five third-country nationals deported to Eswatini in July by the Trump administration
- “Mr Etoria has safely returned to Jamaica,” said the Eswatini government
Lufthansa adds more flights to Asia, Africa as Middle East war reshapes air travel
- Airlines across Europe have been redirecting capacity after suspending services in the Middle East
- Lufthansa said the move also helps meet demand on long-haul routes that Middle Eastern carriers cannot currently serve
LONDON: Lufthansa said on Friday it was shifting capacity from 10 canceled Middle Eastern destinations to routes such as Singapore and Bangkok as it contends with disruption from the US-Israeli war on Iran.
Airlines across Europe, including budget carrier Wizz Air , have been redirecting capacity after suspending services in the Middle East.
Lufthansa said the move also helps meet demand on long-haul routes that Middle Eastern carriers cannot currently serve.
Airline stocks have slumped this week as US and Israeli airstrikes on Iran — and retaliatory strikes by Iran across the Middle East — have disrupted long-haul flights and sent oil prices soaring.
“The war in the Middle East proves once again how exposed air traffic is and how vulnerable it remains,” Lufthansa CEO Carsten Spohr said in a statement. He added the outlook was uncertain, particularly for jet fuel costs.
The schedule changes came as the German group reported better-than-expected 2025 results, saying stricter financial management and fleet renewal had helped contain costs and lift profits. Its shares rose as much as 4 percent, before reversing to trade down 1.2 percent at 1246 GMT.
The company said demand on routes to and from Asia and Africa had risen strongly since the conflict began on Saturday, and it would stick with its focus on expanding long-haul services. Spohr said new flights to Asia would launch in days.
Lufthansa did say how many services it had canceled because of the conflict.
While carriers face costs for rescheduling and rerouting, the biggest impact for those outside the Middle East is expected from surging fuel prices. Brent crude futures have jumped more than 20 percent this week.
Spohr said Lufthansa was well hedged in the short term. The group hedges fuel up to 24 months ahead and was 85 percent hedged as of December 31, according to its annual report.
RESILIENCE
European carriers, including Lufthansa, benefited from slightly lower fuel bills in 2025. Lufthansa’s fuel bill fell 7 percent, helping support earnings as passenger demand stayed firm.
“Last year we were able to significantly increase the Group’s operating profit and achieved the highest revenue in our history. Our results demonstrate the resilience and stability of the Group,” Spohr said.
Lufthansa reported an adjusted operating profit of 2 billion euros ($2.3 billion), compared with 1.9 billion euros forecast in a company-compiled analyst poll and up from 1.6 billion euros in 2024. The group also posted an operating margin of 4.9 percent, up from 4.4 percent a year earlier.
Lufthansa aims to lift operating margins to 8 percent-10 percent between 2028 and 2030 from 4.4 percent in 2024, but strikes by workers, including the most recent on February 12, have made it harder to boost profitability.
Bernstein analyst Alex Irving said ongoing weakness in the passenger airline segment persisted, but that strong performances in Cargo and Lufthansa Technik helped lift profits.
The carrier said the outlook for 2026 was unclear due to geopolitical uncertainty. It projected capacity growth of 4 percent, alongside increased revenue and profit margin.
