Across Africa, and in the tiny nation of Eswatini, fury has erupted over the arrival of foreign deportees from the United States, after its government confirmed that migrants described by a Department of Homeland security spokesperson as “depraved monsters” had been sent to its prisons.

Roughly the size of New Jersey, Eswatini — formerly known as Swaziland — is governed by a monarch who has absolute power. On Wednesday, officials said that five deportees from the US were being held in isolated units in its jails, acknowledging “widespread concern” but insisting the deported men “pose no threat to the country or its citizens.”

The five men are being kept in solitary confinement, acting government spokesperson Thabile Mdluli told CNN Friday, but stopped short of disclosing the prisons they were held in, citing security risks.

Mdluli did not reveal how long the men would stay in Eswatini, but said: “Critical engagements between stakeholders are still ongoing.” She had earlier stated that the deportation was the “result of months of robust high-level engagements” between the US and the southern African nation.

Critics of the move say it is unacceptable for Eswatini to be treated as a “dumping ground” for people considered unfit to live in the US.