Angola’s wave of protests reflects historic lows in MPLA support
The current cost-of-living demonstrations indicate widespread dissatisfaction that could continue into the 2027 electoral year.
Thousands of people again took to the streets in Angola on 28 July in protest against the rising cost of living. The demonstrations began in the capital Luanda, and quickly spread to the cities of Huambo, Malanje and Benguela. In just three days, at least 29 died in clashes with the police, over 1 500 were arrested and 250 were injured.
The National Association of Taxi Drivers of Angola – the main public transport provider in a densely populated Luanda – initially called the protest to denounce a 33% diesel price increase. Police banned the march, saying negotiations with government were already underway to mitigate the fuel hike’s impact, and calling the protest a rebellion.
What was meant to be a sector-specific demonstration soon evolved into a popular uprising over increasing living costs.
As with prior protests, the recent ones were organised by concerned citizens and started peacefully. Yet, police were deployed to quell the marches with force, firing live ammunition and arresting demonstrators.
This violent crackdown turned an otherwise peaceful protest into serious unrest. In Luanda, thousands of young people from informal settlements behind the city’s elite skyscrapers took to the streets. They blocked roads, burnt tyres, looted grocery and appliance shops, and threw stones at police.
Three months earlier, the Angolan Student Movement organised a peaceful protest in Luanda under the banner: ‘For all the forgotten schools, for every neglected student, for every teacher who persists.’ Marchers called for more investment in public education and improved conditions for teachers and learners. In that case too, police responded with violence and arbitrary arrests of at least 50 students and three journalists covering the protest.
Less than 20% of the economically active population is formally employed, and youth unemployment is at 54%
In mid-July, hundreds of people joined another demonstration led by youth and civil society organisations. They opposed the government’s decision to raise fuel prices and eliminate public transport subsidies without public consultation. Again, they were met with excessive force.
The police’s violent response has consistently failed to intimidate the population, who returned in large numbers for the 28 July protests. This suggests that security force crackdowns are unlikely to halt future demonstrations.
Although the fuel price hike sparked the latest protests, the real driving force is the escalating cost of living in Angola’s urban centres, especially Luanda.
The country is one of Africa’s top oil producers, so the 33% increase in diesel to US$40c/litre amounts to one of the lowest prices in the region and globally. However, Angola’s minimum monthly wage is under 70 000 kwanza (US$76) – also one of the lowest globally. President João Lourenço pledged to raise the minimum wage to 100 000 kwanza a year ago, but this hasn’t happened.
Less than 20% of Angola’s economically active population is formally employed. Of the 12.81 million people employed as of May this year, around 81% worked in the informal sector, without fixed incomes, social security, health insurance or other benefits.
Most of Lourenço’s promises remain unfulfilled and his party faces historic lows in popularity
Youth unemployment is even more alarming. Among those aged 15 to 24, the jobless rate stands at 54.3%. These youth are filling the streets to protest against the soaring cost of living. Suppressing demonstrations does not address their demands, and Angola’s government seems unwilling to change course and engage with the youth’s concerns.
Lourenço, elected in a contested poll in 2017, replaced José Eduardo dos Santos after 38 years in power. Lourenço promised economic reform, social progress, democratic respect and anti-corruption measures. As he nears the end of his second and final term, most of his promises remain unfulfilled, and his party faces historic lows in popularity.
With Angola’s next presidential elections in 2027, the pre-electoral context intensifies the current crisis. The ruling People’s Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) – in power since 1975 – has labelled the unrest as ‘unpatriotic’ and a threat to ‘unity, reconciliation, peace and progress.’ This framing prevents any genuine engagement with the public’s grievances.
Angola’s 2022 elections were the most contested in the country’s history. Despite widespread irregularities and a playing field that favoured the MPLA, the ruling party won just 51.17% of the vote. The mainstream opposition National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA) garnered 44.5%. In a telling result, the MPLA lost Luanda, where UNITA secured 62.59%.
The current wave of protests could stretch into 2027, becoming a vehicle for expressing widespread dissatisfaction with the MPLA. UNITA has supported the demonstrations, describing them as the outcome of decades of failed MPLA governance that has not benefited the people.
Protests could continue into the 2027 electoral year, becoming a vehicle for dissatisfaction with the MPLA
The police’s response reflects a pattern among dominant political parties, which often resort to repression when their grip on power is threatened. Tanzania, Mozambique and Zimbabwe’s election environments are three examples.
Florindo Chivucute, Executive Director of the think tank Friends of Angola, told ISS Today that there was a high risk of further violent protests until elections. He pointed to rising inflation and increasing costs of fuel, food and essential services as key drivers of public frustration. ‘Social inequalities persist in Angola, with stark disparities between the political-economic elite and the general population, fuelling perceptions of injustice.’
Chivucute also warned of the risk that ‘the Angolan regime could increase its violent repression in the coming years, particularly due to growing unease surrounding the end of … Lourenço’s political cycle and the lack of a clear successor within the MPLA – a situation that is triggering internal disputes, factional tensions and instability at the top of power.’
If the government continues to crush demonstrations, the numbers of deaths, injuries and arrests will likely rise. Protests will persist and grow more destructive, damaging infrastructure and economic stability.
Mozambique’s post-election protests, which lasted four months despite police repression, should serve as a warning to Luanda that violence does not quell the anger of a mobilised population. Angola’s own pattern of recurring protests confirms this.
Instead, the government should open dialogue with protest leaders, find solutions to the people’s demands, and ensure that the coming elections are held in an environment of peace and mutual respect.
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