This article examines Media Development Aid and Press Freedom in Conflict-Affected States: Decolonial Reflections with a focused emphasis on Eswatini within the field of African Studies. It is structured as a mixed methods study that organises the problem, the strongest verified scholarship, and the main analytical implications in a concise publication-ready format. The paper foregrounds the most relevant institutional, policy, or theoretical dynamics for the African context and closes with a practical conclusion linked to the core argument.