The Police authorities have that at least four people were killed and hundreds were arrested during a protest against a fuel price hike in Angola’s capital City Luanda.
The protests erupted in response to the government’s decision earlier this month to raise the price of diesel by 30 percent, which led to large hikes in fares by minibus taxis, an important method of transport for many Angolans.
Gunfire could be heard in central Luanda’s Cazenga area, where people were seen taking food and other items from shops and images showed clashes in the Rocha Pinto suburb near the airport, as well as in the Prenda area.
Police said in a statement that hundreds of arrests were made in connection with rioting, vandalism and looting of shops and cars and buses were damaged and roads were blocked and transport in Luanda remained suspended and shops closed the entire of yesterday.
The government’s decision to raise heavily subsidised fuel prices from 300 to 400 kwanzas (Angola currency) per litre has caused anger in Angola, one of Africa’s top oil producers, where many people live in poverty.
Minibus taxi associations, which in turn hiked their fares by up to 50 percent, launched a three-day strike to protest the move beginning on Monday.
“We are tired … they must announce something for things to change … for us to live in better conditions,” A who asked not to be named protester told journalists.
Members of the Angola National Police could be seen patroling the streets as looting erupted in the Kalemba II District of Luanda and general strike in the taxi sector declared for three days to protest against the rising prices of fuel.
Angola Deputy Police Commissioner Mateus Rodrigues told journalists in a briefing about the violence that the Police currently has confirmed four deaths but he did not specify how they occurred.
He also disclosed that the Police arrested 400 people overnight for suspected involvement in the unrest and about 45 shops were vandalised, while 25 private vehicles and 20 public buses were damaged while banks were also targeted.
