Luanda, July 30, 2025 (Lusa) - The provisional toll from the Angolan authorities stands at 22 dead, 197 injured and 1,214 detentions in two days of riots in Luanda province during a taxi strike, the government said on Wednesday.
The figures were released by Angola's Interior Minister, Manuel Homem, at the end of a Cabinet meeting to review the situation over the last two days, which has been marked by acts of vandalism in the Angolan capital.
The acts of violence came in the wake of a three-day taxi strike called by taxi associations and cooperatives to protest against rising fuel prices and public transport fares.
Manuel Homem said that acts of vandalism had been witnessed over the last two days, particularly in the province of Luanda, which had jeopardised public safety in the Angolan capital, but also on Tuesday in the provinces of Huambo, Benguela and Huíla.
“But the message we want to convey to citizens is that they should trust the national security forces and the police, who are committed to ensuring that the security, stability and social peace we all seek and desire are achieved,” said Manuel Homem.
The minister said that there were also reports of vandalism of public property, such as police vehicles, ambulances and buses, and that 66 shops, bank branches and private vehicles had also been damaged.
“The Ministry of the Interior has taken measures to ensure that we return to normality. We want to convey to Angolan citizens and the community residing in our country that we remain committed to ensuring that public security (...) will not suffer changes that would make social life impossible for all of us,” he stressed.
The Angolan minister gave assurances that the situation in Luanda had returned to normal, with public transport running regularly, as well as other public services, which had not been closed, "but due to the nature of the situation, some civil servants did not report for duty", as well as private institutions.
“But we will continue to maintain the measures that have already been taken to protect and maintain security in the country, in Luanda and other provinces in situations of heightened tension,” he stressed.
“We want to send a message of reassurance to citizens that we will continue to serve them and that demonstrations are permitted by law, provided they do not turn into acts of vandalism and rioting, such as those we have witnessed, and that we will always be alert to respond appropriately to each situation,” he concluded.
The final statement from the Cabinet emphasises that the acts carried out by the demonstrators, “combined with the presence of infiltrators with criminal intentions, indicate that the phenomenon has gone beyond the scope of a simple protest and has taken on the characteristics of a threat to security and social peace, creating constraints on the mobility of workers and a negative impact on productivity in the social and economic sectors”.
NME/AYLS // AYLS
Lusa
