🇦🇴 Deadly Fuel Protests Rock Angola as Government Blames ‘Criminal Infiltrators

More than 22 killed and over 1,200 arrested as subsidy cuts spark Angola’s largest civil unrest in years.

Zig Diaries Africa 
Date: Wednesday, 31 July 2025
Time: 13:40 WAT
Location: 📍Luanda, Angola

Angola reels from violent anti-subsidy protests after diesel price hike, exposing deep economic frustration and political strain.

At least 22 people, including a police officer, have been killed and more than 200 injured in violent protests that erupted across Angola following a steep fuel price hike, authorities confirmed on Wednesday.

The unrest, which began Monday as a taxi drivers’ strike, swiftly escalated into one of the most disruptive waves of protest the oil-rich nation has seen in recent years. Demonstrations have gripped Luanda, Huambo, Benguela and Huíla provinces, forcing businesses to shut down and leaving streets filled with looted shops, burnt vehicles, and shuttered petrol stations.

Interior Minister Manuel Homem said over 1,200 people have been arrested in connection with the riots. “We have witnessed actions that amount to acts of vandalism and endanger public security,” he stated after a cabinet meeting chaired by President João Lourenço.

Doctors at public hospitals in Luanda told the BBC that emergency services had been overwhelmed. “Many protesters have serious injuries… the death toll may be higher than the official figures suggest,” one physician warned under anonymity.

Despite martial deployments and night curfews, sporadic gunfire echoed across cities on Monday and Tuesday. Protesters denounced the removal of fuel subsidies, which has caused diesel prices to surge by over 33% and triggered sharp hikes in food and transport costs.

President Lourenço downplayed the crisis, telling CNN Portugal the unrest was a political ploy masked as a fuel protest. Meanwhile, his administration blamed “infiltrators with criminal intentions” for escalating the violence.

The Patriotic United Front (FPU) opposition alliance condemned the destruction but expressed solidarity with struggling citizens, attributing the crisis to poor governance and economic insensitivity.

International airlines, including Lufthansa, cancelled flights into Luanda, and several embassies issued security alerts urging foreign nationals to stay indoors.

🏷️Tags: Angola, Fuel Protest, João Lourenço, Taxi Strike, Diesel Price, FPU, Economic Crisis
#AngolaProtests #FuelSubsidy #ZigAfricaNews #LuandaUnrest #AfricaNews