The unrest, which broke out on Monday, followed a nationwide strike led by taxi drivers opposing a July 1 fuel price increase. Despite Angola’s oil wealth, the majority of its population lives in poverty, and the hike sparked widespread anger.

 

Monday and Tuesday saw some of the worst violence the country has witnessed in years. Gunshots rang out across Luanda and other cities as demonstrators looted shops and clashed with security forces.

 

Interior Minister Manuel Homem confirmed that 22 people, including a police officer, were killed in the chaos. Nearly 200 others were injured, and more than 1,200 arrests were made. Speaking at a Council of Ministers meeting chaired by President João Lourenço, the minister said 66 shops were damaged during the looting spree, which targeted supermarkets and warehouses.

 

By Wednesday, Luanda’s streets were subdued, with many shops still closed and a strong presence of security forces across the city. Public transport was gradually resuming after being paralyzed for two days, although long queues remained at fuel stations and shops.

 

The government attributed the violent turn of the protest to “elements with criminal intentions,” claiming they had hijacked the strike and sparked “a climate of widespread insecurity,” as protests spread to cities outside the capital.

 

In Lubango, police admitted a 16-year-old boy was fatally shot by an officer while attempting to storm the ruling MPLA party’s office on Tuesday.

 

The protest stemmed from a government decision to raise fuel prices from 300 to 400 kwanzas (\$0.33 to \$0.43) per litre—part of a broader move to reduce subsidies, reportedly in response to International Monetary Fund pressure urging increased investment in healthcare and education.

 

However, with inflation nearing 20% and unemployment affecting nearly 30% of the 36 million population, many citizens have viewed the move as yet another burden on already difficult living conditions. The World Bank projects poverty levels to remain around 36% through 2026 without expanded social support.

 

Thousands took to the streets of Luanda on Saturday in a demonstration where protesters waved signs condemning fuel costs, accusing the MPLA of corruption, and voicing discontent with President Lourenço’s leadership. Similar protests occurred the previous two weekends.

 

Opposition parties UNITA and Bloco Democrático, in a joint statement Wednesday, described the country as gripped by a “deep economic and social crisis,” blaming government policies that they said fail to reflect the realities on the ground.

 

Meanwhile, rights groups, including Amnesty International, have criticized Angolan authorities for their handling of the protests, accusing police of using excessive force. The country, which endured a brutal civil war between 1975 and 2002, has a history of repression under the former long-term leader José Eduardo dos Santos.

 

Amnesty International recalled that in 2021, at least 10 protesters were killed by police during an anti-poverty demonstration in Cafunfo, a mining town in eastern Angola.

 

The latest unrest has renewed concerns about political instability, economic inequality, and government accountability in the oil-rich but struggling southern African nation.

 

AFP