More than 70 people were arrested in the city of Benguela for vandalism, a provincial police spokesman told local media. Police did not provide information on arrests in other cities, but the Lusa agency reported an undetermined number of arrests in the capital.
In Luanda, a strong police presence patrolled the streets from the morning before firing tear gas to disperse a crowd that had gathered in the eastern part of the capital. .
The demonstrations were the latest in a wave sparked by the government’s decision to cut petrol subsidies at a time when the economy is suffering from falling oil prices.
Saturday’s demonstrations, organized by civil society groups, were backed by opposition parties, which said in a joint statement on Friday that the cuts in subsidies had been accelerated and did not take into account Angolans’ living standards.
The demonstrations were also held to protest against the “restriction of the freedoms of associations and non-governmental organizations”, i.e. against the draft law on the status of NGOs. Recently passed in parliament with the votes of the MPLA, the diploma provides for the creation of a state entity to “monitor and control the activities and programs of the organizations”
NGO officials and other activists are critical of what they see as a backlash against civil rights and freedom of association.
The opposition also criticized the authorities’ heavy-handed response to the protests, saying 11 people had been killed so far.
Earlier this month, at least five people were killed in Huambo when police opened fire on a demonstration by taxi drivers and motorcycles that authorities say had turned violent.
Angola, together with Nigeria, is one of the largest oil exporters in sub-Saharan Africa, but has little refining capacity. The decision to cut subsidies was intended to reduce government spending, but resulted in sharp increases in fuel prices.
“By abolishing the subsidies, the government can save money,” says independent analyst Marisa Lourenço. “Of course it also comes at a bad time for the population, with high inflation eroding the value of the local currency.”
The kwanza began to weaken sharply in May, as oil prices fell and analysts said the central bank ended its support.
In the past month, the currency has fallen more than 25 percent against the dollar.
Under President João Lourenço, who was re-elected to a second term last year, the country has struggled to attract foreign investment and diversify its oil-dependent economy.
But the reforms have yet to translate into better living conditions for many of the country’s 33 million people. Unemployment and poverty remain high. Earlier this month, João Lourenço fired the influential Minister of Economic Coordination, Manuel Nunes Júnior, and replaced him with the governor of the Angolan central bank, José Massano.
Source: DN
