At least 22 people have died since Monday, July 28, in Angola following protests sparked by a fuel price increase, the country’s Interior Minister confirmed as calm gradually returned to the capital, Luanda.
Sporadic gunfire was reported across Luanda and several other cities on Monday and Tuesday, July 29, as looting broke out and demonstrators clashed with police during a taxi drivers’ strike.
The unrest began on Monday, the first day of the strike organized by taxi drivers protesting the July 1 rise in fuel prices in the oil-rich nation, where millions of people live in poverty.
This marked some of the most serious unrest in Angola in recent years. The country, a Portuguese-speaking nation in southern Africa, has been ruled by the MPLA party since 1975.
Interior Minister Manuel Homem, speaking after a Council of Ministers meeting chaired by President João Lourenço, expressed regret over the loss of life, saying, “We regret 22 deaths, including one police officer.”
He added that nearly 200 people were injured and over 1,200 individuals arrested during the violent clashes. The unrest also involved widespread looting, with supermarkets and warehouses targeted and 66 shops damaged, according to Homem.
By Wednesday, the streets of Luanda were tense and mostly deserted, though queues formed outside petrol stations and shops. Security forces maintained a strong presence, while some public transport services began to resume after a two-day halt.
Following the spread of protests beyond the capital, a government statement condemned acts of vandalism and rioting, describing them as “a threat to security” fueled by “elements with criminal intentions.”
Separately, police in the southern city of Lubango reported that a police officer shot and killed a 16-year-old on Tuesday. Authorities said the teenager was allegedly part of a group attempting to storm the MPLA party headquarters.
The taxi strike was the latest protest in a series sparked by the fuel price increase from 300 to 400 kwanzas (approximately $0.33 to $0.43) per litre that took effect on July 1.
0 Comments