Luanda, 31 jul 2025 (Lusa) - At least 91 commercial establishments were vandalised in three days of unrest in Angola's Luanda and Malanje provinces, according to a preliminary report that Lusa had access to on Thursday.
The preliminary survey carried out by the Association of Modern Commerce and Distribution Companies of Angola (Ecodima) shows that seven commercial chains were effectively looted. At the same time, nine operators registered attempted vandalism in 24 different units. Arreiou shops stood out, with 72 sales units targeted for looting.
In Luanda province - the epicentre of three days of unrest following a strike by taxi drivers in protest at rising fuel prices and taxi fares - the acts took place in the areas of Vila de Viana, Calemba 2, Golfo 2, Cacuaco, Zango, Benfica, Fubu, Camama, Sapu, Nova Vida, Chicala, Talatona, Rocha Pinto, Samba, Morro Bento, Kilamba, KK5000, Bairro Popular, Ingombota, Palanca and Maianga, showing ‘the geographical dispersion of the incidents in the urban fabric of the capital’.
The last three days of the national stoppage of private collective transport (aka taxis, candongueiros or blue and whites), between the 28th and 30th of this month, were characterised in various areas of the country, most notably in Luanda, by acts of rioting, vandalism, looting and attempts to break into commercial establishments.
‘These events (...) constitute a direct attack on private investment, economic stability and the physical integrity of workers involved in formal commerce,’ Ecodima emphasises in the report.
Regarding the economic and social impacts, the association emphasises that these episodes represent a concrete threat to the sustainability of the distribution sector, which is responsible for thousands of direct and indirect jobs and a significant contribution to the state's tax collection. On the other hand, it emphasises that the material damage to infrastructure, equipment, stocks of goods and logistics operations has yet to be assessed.
‘Reference should also be made to the psychological and physical impact on workers, who were forced to evacuate commercial establishments in panic situations, as well as the damage to investor confidence in the national market,’ the document emphasises.
‘Ecodima, (...) expresses its deep concern at the worsening situation in the country's capital, and emphasises that its members have adopted all possible measures to safeguard their investments and human resources, namely the early and temporary closure of commercial establishments, as a way of preventing more severe damage,’ the document also states.
The association recommends ‘as a matter of urgency, coordination between the defence and security agencies, the government and the business sector, to strengthen preventive measures and safeguard the functioning of the formal economy’, explaining that a detailed survey of the damage suffered is being carried out and submitted to the competent authorities.
Among the priority actions, the association highlights the reinforcement of security in critical commercial zones; the immediate restoration of public order; ensuring mobility for workers and goods transport vehicles and the declaration of institutional support for the injured operators.
The Angolan government's latest assessment of these events, which also affected the provinces of Icolo e Bengo, Bengo, Benguela, Huambo and Huíla, shows that there were at least 22 deaths, 197 injuries and 1,214 arrests.
NME/ADB // ADB.
Lusa
