Swaziland rangers kill suspected game poacher, arrest suspected accomplice at nature reserve

Rangers kill a suspected poacher in Swaziland

MBABANE, Swaziland — Officials in Swaziland say game rangers have shot and killed a suspected poacher at a nature reserve northeast of the capital, Mbabane.

Swaziland National Trust Commission Titus Dlamini says in a Friday statement that police are investigating the weekend killing. Police say one suspected accomplice was arrested and two escaped after a brief gunbattle between game officials and three suspects at Mlawula Nature Reserve.

The dead man’s father says his son was unarmed.

Under Swazi law, the rangers can shoot and kill poachers caught in the act. But that has drawn criticism from rights groups who say some of the victims are poor hunters and gatherers just trying to feed themselves in the tiny, impoverished southern African nation.