The United States has deported five individuals from Vietnam, Jamaica, Cuba, Yemen and Laos to Eswatini, a small southern African nation governed by a king who still holds absolute power.

On board the flight were five deportees from Vietnam, Jamaica, Laos, Cuba and Yemen who have been convicted of crimes ranging from child rape to murder, US Homeland Security Department Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in an online post.

Five immigrants deported by the United States to the small southern African nation of Eswatini under the Trump administration's third-country program are in prison, where they will be held in solitary confinement for an undetermined time,

The United States Department of Homeland Security has deported violent criminals to Eswatini, a move that has sparked criticism and confusion online.