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A Cambodian refugee long-settled in the US, ex-convict Pheap Rom, remains bewildered at how he wound up behind bars in the African nation of Eswatini for months after being swept up in Donald Trump's deportation blitz.When Rom and nine other men — shackled and escorted onto a plane by US authorities — landed in the kingdom of Eswatini in October, they were greeted on the tarmac by a squad of "military guys with guns and masks", the 43-year-old said."I didn't know what was going to happen," he said in an interview in the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh, where he was repatriated in late March."I didn't understand why I was being deported to Africa because I'm Cambodian."Rom is one of around 20 men the US has deported to landlocked Eswatini — bordering South Africa and Mozambique — under a Trump administration scheme challenged in courts and described by rights advocates as akin to "human trafficking".Eswatini, Africa's last absolute monarchy, is among several "third countries" accepting migrants under shadowy deals enabling the US president's push for mass deportations.The nation formerly known as Swaziland agreed to accept up to 160 deportees in exchange for around $5.1mn, with plans to forward them to their home countries after Washington said their direct repatriations were denied.But Rom — living in the US with "permanent resident" status since 1985 after his family fled Cambodia's genocidal Khmer Rouge regime — is just the second to be repatriated from Eswatini, after a Jamaican was returned home last year.The remainder may still be trapped inside the deportation process, opaque even to those inside it.Rom served a 15-year prison sentence in the US after pleading guilty to attempted murder for firing a gun during two neighbourhood disputes, leaving several people wounded."I know what I did was wrong," he said. "I accepted my punishment."He was detained by immigration authorities upon his release in November 2024, and his green card was revoked after an immigration judge ordered his deportation due to his felony conviction.He expected to be sent to Cambodia. But landing in Eswatini was like turning back the clock to his prison term, Rom said.His jailers seemed unaware that the men had served their time and looked at them as if they were "criminals because of what the (US) administration was portraying us to be".For the first two months at the Matsapha Correctional Centre, Rom said he and fellow deportees "went through misery" — allowed outdoors for only 15 minutes a day and given one weekly phone call."We had an attorney there that was willing to try to come and talk to us, but they weren't letting that attorney in," he said.Lawyers in Eswatini have corroborated his claim to AFP, saying they have been repeatedly denied access to people expelled by the US who have been detained without charge.Eswatini's government has said US deportees were "in good hands" and receiving healthcare, including counselling.Much of Trump's deportation campaign has been executed by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), criticised for using heavy-handed tactics during crackdowns in US cities.ICE did not reply to a request for comment about Rom's case.In July, when the first deportees were sent to Eswatini, a US Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman said on social media they were "so uniquely barbaric that their home countries refused to take them back".But Rom and his lawyer Tin Thanh Nguyen both expressed doubts the agency even tried to deport him directly to Cambodia, the only country where he has citizenship.Nguyen is struggling to piece together the logic that led to his client being marooned in a country where he had no ties.The lawyer painted a picture of a chaotic process, saying Rom was not interviewed in the US to verify his nationality and was registered for deportation to Thailand, the country where he was born in a refugee camp."If ICE was requesting travel documents from Thailand, they went to the wrong country," Nguyen said.Chann Rotana, a spokesman for Cambodia's foreign ministry, told AFP that the US had previously sent Cambodian deportees to the country directly with no issues."We also don't know why the US this time sent him to Eswatini," the spokesman said.Now living in Phnom Penh after the Cambodian government facilitated his repatriation from Eswatini, Rom said he was still "getting used to the freedom" but was ready to move on.Eventually, he hopes to find work, stay in touch with his relatives in the US and start a new family in Cambodia, he said."I want to create a new memory here, because this is my second chance in life." 

Cape Verde beat Eswatini 3-0 on Monday to secure a spot at the 2026 World Cup, booking their place in football’s global showpiece for the very first time.The team from an archipelago off the coast of Senegal has about 550,000 inhabitants, making Cape Verde the country with the smallest population to represent Africa in the global showpiece.Cape Verde won Group D with 23 points, four more than Cameroon, who hold the African record for World Cup appearances with eight. Cameroon drew 0-0 with Angola in Yaounde.After dominating the first half of the 2026 qualifier, but seldom threatening to score, the Blue Sharks struck twice through Dailon Livramento and Willy Semedo in the first nine minutes after half-time before a 15,000 flag-waving crowd in Praia.Livramento claimed his fourth goal of the 10-round qualifying campaign on 48 minutes and Semedo struck six minutes later. Both goals came from close-range tap-ins.Cape Verde added a third goal in added time when Stopira, a substitute for Joao Paulo, pounced on a loose ball to score.Cape Verde rely heavily on players born outside the nation to Cape Verdean parents or grandparents. Livramento was born in Rotterdam and Semedo near Paris.Eswatini had come to the 10-island archipelago with little attacking ambition, adopting a 5-4-1 formation in front of goalkeeper Khanyakwezwe Shabalala. But after conceding twice there was no way back for the team from southern Africa, who lost seven qualifiers and drew the other three.Cape Verde spread the national team net wide with three starters based in Portugal and one each in the United States, Republic of Ireland, UAE, Romania, Russia, Netherlands, Turkey and Cyprus.The remarkable qualification of Cape Verde came after they made a disappointing start to the 10-match campaign, drawing 0-0 at home with Angola and slumping to a 4-1 loss in Cameroon. Those results left the Blue Sharks with four points from a possible nine, having won away to Eswatini in between. But after the matchday three loss in Yaounde, Cape Verde won five consecutive qualifiers, including crucial one-goal victories away to Angola and at home to Cameroon.That left the islanders needing three points from their final two qualifiers this month and a drama-filled 3-3 in Libya secured one before hosting Eswatini.Last year, in the midst of the World Cup campaign, Cape Verde fared poorly in 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying, winning only one match of six and failing to secure a place at the tournament.Despite flopping in a group from which Egypt and Botswana advanced, Cape Verdean officials retained faith in long-serving coach Pedro Leitao Brito.After two stints as assistant coach of the national team and spells with five local clubs, the coach popularly known as Bubista took charge of Cape Verde in 2020.The 55-year-old former centre-back, who represented his country 21 times, guided Cape Verde to successive AFCON tournaments, in Cameroon three years ago and Ivory Coast last year.They reached the knockout phase each time, making a last-16 exit, then losing a quarter-final against South Africa on penalties after having four spot-kicks saved. In Group H, already-qualified Tunisia achieved a ninth victory by overcoming second-placed Namibia 3-0 near Tunis with Hannibal Mejbri from Premier League outfit Burnley among the scorers.The Carthage Eagles, who will make a seventh appearance at the World Cup next year, scored 22 goals in 10 qualifiers and did not concede. Despite the loss, Namibia edged Liberia on goal difference for the runners-up spot, but will finish last in the table for second-placed nations and be eliminated.Having suspended French coach Nicolas Dupuis after a five-goal hiding from Senegal last Friday, South Sudan kept a clean sheet in a 0-0 Group B draw with fellow eliminated side Togo.Top spot in the section rests between Senegal, the leaders with 21 points, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, who are two points behind. Both play their final qualifiers Tuesday.Scotland stay in contention, Dutch move closerScotland ground out a 2-1 home win over Belarus on Sunday, to stay in contention for automatic qualification to the 2026 World Cup, while the Netherlands closed in on securing their berth at the tournament with a win over Finland. Steve Clarke’s Scotland sit joint top of Group C with Denmark, after the Danes beat Greece 3-1 with Rasmus Hojlund opening the scoring for the home team.Denmark are first in the pool on goal difference but their win in Copenhagen ensured Scotland of at least a play-off spot as they bid to make a first World Cup appearance since 1998.The pool-toppers meet in the final qualification matchday on November 18 in Glasgow.Che Adams scored the opener for the hosts on the quarter-hour at Hampden Park in an otherwise uninspiring performance by Scotland. They thought they were due a penalty just shy of the hour for a succession of incidents in the Belarus box, including two calls for a foul and hand-ball shouts going both ways, but after a lengthy VAR review the referee declined the home side’s appeals and awarded a free-kick out.