• DISPATCHES
• ANGOLA

Fuel subsidy cuts trigger protests and clashes with police

More than 20 killed in disorder that has spread beyond Luanda

President João Lourenço’s administration has been striving to cut fuel subsidies to reduce debt servicing costs while avoiding disorder. But it has failed to strike that balance and opposition to the government move is mounting.

More than 20 people have been killed, including at least one police officer, according to government officials. The protests, which began on 28 July, have spread beyond Luanda where nearly 200 people have been reported injured, and shops and vehicles vandalised. More than 1,200 people had been arrested as Africa Confidential went to press.

There have been warning signs from previous attempts at the phased removal of the subsidies in an oil-exporting nation that still imports most of its petroleum products. The first round of cuts in June 2023 prompted demonstrators by activists protesters already facing double-digit inflation (AC Vol 65 No 14, Political glitches hold up reforms). Last November, thousands protested against rising living costs in the biggest demonstration in Luanda for two years (AC Vol 65 No 24, Lourenço mulls his succession).

The trigger was a three-day strike by minibus taxi drivers over a 33% rise in diesel prices. But the hikes have also driven up the price of staple foods and other basic items, as suppliers who transport goods by road are passing on costs to consumers.

For the moment, Lourenço is playing down the protests, blaming them on the opposition and pointing out that, at US$0.40 a litre, the price of diesel is still one of the world’s lowest. But senior officials are wary of the protests escalating into demands for regime change.

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