BY THEMBA ZWANE
MBABANE – The United States of America (US) military has revealed the participation of senior Umbutfo Eswatini Defence Force (UEDF) officers in Exercise Southern Accord 2026, a major U.S.-linked regional military exercise held in Botswana this month.
The U.S. military’s official Defence Visual Information Distribution Service (DVIDS) identified Colonel Sifiso Mtsetfwa and Lieutenant Colonel Mfanafuthi Ngubeni as part of an Eswatini delegation that visited the exercise in Gaborone on August 13, 2026.
The two officers were among military observers from Eswatini, South Africa and Zimbabwe who visited the Southern Accord 2026 joint planning process and engaged with U.S. military personnel.
The disclosure provides a rare glimpse into Eswatini’s involvement in a major U.S.-supported military exercise in the region, with the U.S. Army publishing photographs and details of the Eswatini officers’ participation.
US-BOTSWANA EXERCISE
Southern Accord 2026 was conducted from August 10 to 15 in Gaborone, bringing together the Botswana Defence Force and U.S. military personnel, particularly the North Carolina National Guard, under the U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM).
The exercise focused on enhancing regional security, military readiness and interoperability, with training covering areas including defensive cyber operations, space operations, military intelligence, joint planning and medical civil-action activities.
For the first time, the exercise also involved the United States Space Force, with AFRICOM supporting the joint multi-domain planning exercise.
Although Southern Accord is principally a U.S.-Botswana exercise, the presence of military observers from Eswatini, South Africa and Zimbabwe demonstrates a wider regional dimension.
ESWATINI OFFICERS AT THE EXERCISE
According to the U.S. Army, Colonel Mtsetfwa and Lieutenant Colonel Ngubeni were part of the Eswatini delegation that observed the exercise’s planning activities.
A U.S. Army photograph shows the two officers engaging with Colonel David Walliser, the U.S. STAFFEX syndicate lead, during their visit in Gaborone.
Another official U.S. military photograph shows observers from Eswatini, Zimbabwe and South Africa touring the Southern Accord joint planning process staff exercise.
CYBER, SPACE AND INTELLIGENCE
Southern Accord 2026 went beyond conventional military manoeuvres, with the exercise incorporating several emerging areas of modern warfare and security planning.
According to the U.S. military, participating forces established functional areas dealing with cyber, intelligence and space operations, alongside the main staff exercise and joint planning processes.
The exercise was designed to improve the ability of participating forces to plan jointly and respond to shared security challenges.
The involvement of the United States Space Force also gave this year’s exercise an expanded multi-domain character, reflecting the growing importance of space and cyber capabilities in military planning.
US-ESWATINI DEFENCE LINKS
The Eswatini presence at Southern Accord comes against the background of growing U.S.-Eswatini military engagement.
In June, U.S. Africa Command Deputy Commander for Civil-Military Engagement Ambassador Robert Scott visited Eswatini and held meetings with senior defence officials, including Umbutfo Eswatini Defence Force Chief General Mashikilisana Moses Fakudze and senior UEDF officers.
During that engagement, AFRICOM highlighted previous military cooperation involving Eswatini, including participation in the International Military Education and Training (IMET) programme and an AFRICOM medical-readiness exercise.
Future opportunities discussed included Eswatini’s participation in AFRICOM exercises, the incorporation of unmanned aircraft systems and support for regional peace-support operations.
REGIONAL SECURITY
The Southern Accord exercise also reinforces the United States’ wider security engagement with southern Africa.
The U.S. military said the 2026 exercise was aimed at strengthening military partnerships and regional cooperation, while improving operational independence among African partner nations.
At the closing ceremony, U.S. Ambassador to Botswana Howard A. Van Vranken described the exercise as demonstrating the enduring partnership between the United States and Botswana.
The U.S. military said Southern Accord 2026 strengthened the partners’ ability to plan together, building on the 2024 exercise, which focused more heavily on training capabilities for humanitarian assistance, disaster relief, peacekeeping and aeromedical evacuation.
For Eswatini, the participation of its officers places the Kingdom within a regional military engagement involving the United States, Botswana and other southern African defence forces.
The U.S. military’s disclosure also highlights the Kingdom’s continuing engagement with AFRICOM and U.S.-linked defence cooperation at a time when regional security planning is increasingly incorporating cyber, intelligence, space and other emerging capabilities.
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