Unrest in Angola this week over a sharp fuel price hike has left 22 people dead and more than 1,200 arrested, the government said on Thursday.
Violence erupted on Monday when drivers of candongueiros – blue and white minibus taxis that carry nearly 90 percent of Luanda’s commuters – launched a three-day strike.
Sporadic gunfire was heard across the capital Luanda and several other cities on Monday and Tuesday as people looted shops and clashed with police.
"We regret 22 deaths, including one police officer," Interior Minister Manuel Homem told reporters on the sidelines of a Council of Ministers meeting chaired by President João Lourenço.
Nearly 200 people were injured in the violence, he said, while more than 1,200 people had been arrested.
A statement issued after after the ministers' meeting said vandalism and rioting had triggered a climate of widespread insecurity.
It added: "Elements with criminal intentions have turned the demonstration into a threat to security."
Security forces on patrol
Security forces patrolled the streets of Luanda on Wednesday as public transport slowly resumed after a two-day standstill.
The strike was the latest in a series of protests after the price of fuel was raised from 300 to 400 kwanzas (€0.29 to €0.38) a litre on 1 July.
The government's move to lower its heavy fuel subsidies reportedly followed calls from the International Monetary Fund for more public money to be spent on health and education.
But it has angered many in the country of 36 million people, already under pressure from inflation of around 20 percent and an unemployment rate of nearly 30 percent.
"The government seems to ignore its population," Luanda resident Daniel Pedro, 32, told the French news agency AFP.
"They say that youth is the future of tomorrow, yet today it is unemployed. I have a deep feeling of insecurity," the teacher said.
Inflation and limited growth are likely to keep poverty rates high, around 36 percent by 2026, underscoring the need for a stronger social safety net and more development spending", according to the World Bank.
Oil wealth, rising anger
Angola is the second-largest oil producer in Africa, behind Nigeria. But many people say they are not seeing any benefit from Angola’s oil wealth.
“This is a paradox we’ve lived with since independence,” activist Laura Macedo told RFI's Portuguese service.
She criticised Lourenço for promoting Angola’s 50th independence anniversary while much of the population continues to suffer.
“He cannot be a happy man. How can you accept that there are still children on the streets, and that the drought in southern Angola continues to kill people?” she asked.
The ANATA taxi drivers’ union, which called the strike, has distanced itself from the unrest.
Its leader, Geraldo Wanga, condemned the violence and said his members were not involved in the destruction. He hit out at what he called the arbitrary arrest of drivers wrongly accused of inciting violence.
The protests reflect growing frustration with Angola’s economic struggles and political leadership. The MPLA has ruled since the country gained independence from Portugal in 1975.
In a joint statement, the opposition UNITA and Bloco Democratico parties said: "Angola is in a severe economic and social crisis that is a result of government policies that are disconnected from the country's reality."
