Swaziland king goes missing

Africa’s last absolute monarch is nowhere to be seen a week after Swaziland collapsed into deadly violence during the largest prodemocracy protests in the country’s modern history. Rumours are circulating that King Mswati III left his country in the middle of the demonstrations in which dozens of protesters were killed, government offices burnt down and shops looted. He has ruled the small southern African state since 1986 and has long been accused of using his grip on power to fund a lavish lifestyle for himself and his 15 wives — while 60 per cent of the population live below the poverty line.