Angola’s Crackdown on Protest
Luanda, July 31, 2025 — The Opening Central Africa Coalition (OCA) is deeply alarmed by the ongoing unrest in Angola, and the use of lethal force against civilians constitutes a grave violation of international human rights standards and must be immediately halted. We stand in full support of the Angolan people. Friends of Angola (FoA), a core member of OCA, has documented how a peaceful taxi drivers’ strike against a sudden 47% fuel price hike (from 200 to 300 kwanzas per liter) spiraled into a wave of nationwide protests after authorities moved to eliminate fuel subsidies. What began as a legitimate outcry over economic hardship has escalated into looting, vandalism, mass arrests amid a forceful security crackdown, and assassinations, with even well-known civic activists swept up in the dragnet. FoA and a coalition of Angolan human rights groups have warned that scrapping subsidies “without safeguards for the poor” violates the social rights of millions, and that criminalizing public protest will only deepen the nation’s crisis. OCA echoes these concerns: Angola’s citizens should not be punished for voicing grievances about hunger, unemployment, and governance failures.
As of today, official reports confirm that at least 22 people have been killed, 197 injured, and 1,214 arrested since the unrest began on July 28. Eyewitnesses describe scenes of burning tires and ransacked shops, as protesters clashed with police who fired tear gas, rubber, and live bullets into crowds. Among those detained are prominent civil society activists; a disturbing indicator that the government is treating peaceful dissent as a crime rather than a cornerstone of democracy. This heavy-handed approach has drawn widespread condemnation; Angola’s Catholic Bishops have decried the deadly turmoil and urged the nation’s youth to embrace dialogue instead of violence. OCA agrees: the path out of this crisis lies in engagement with civil society, not in silencing it.
OCA leaders emphasize that such repression is not only unjust but counterproductive. “The alarming use of lethal force and mass arrests in Angola is indefensible,” said Andrea Ngombet, Executive President of OCA. “We stand firmly with Friends of Angola in urging the government to change course — civil society is not the enemy of the state. Peaceful dissent must not be met with bullets and prison bars.”
OCA calls on the Angolan authorities to immediately:
- Release all individuals who have been unlawfully detained for exercising their right to protest and express dissent.
- Cease the use of excessive force – including live ammunition, rubber bullets, and tear gas – against unarmed protesters.
- Engage with civil society groups, community leaders, and opposition voices in a genuine dialogue to address the legitimate grievances driving this unrest.
For many in Angola, “this upheaval is not merely about fuel — it reflects deep-rooted social injustice and a broken social contract, driven by systemic corruption and the mismanagement of public funds,” said Florindo Chivucute, Executive Director of Friends of Angola and a core member of Opening Central Africa (OCA). “The soaring cost of living has left countless families unable to put food on the table, turning daily survival into a struggle and peaceful protest into a powerful cry for dignity.”OCA stands in solidarity with the people of Angola and our partners on the ground, insisting that respect for human rights and inclusive dialogue, not repression, are the only sustainable way forward. We urge President João Lourenço’s government to heed the calls of its citizens and civil society: stop the crackdown, free the unlawfully detained, and work with the community, not against it, to restore peace and trust.
