Cape Town, South Africa – For Giulio Candelo, two moments stand out from the recent protests in Angola. Image and cry of protest of a woman shot from behind by a police officer: “Temos Fom – “We are hungry”
A few days after demonstrations against cutting government fuel subsidies, including looting on the streets and burning tires, it calmed down and returned to Luanda, the capital, where protests intensified last week, and other parts of the country.
But in the ruins of destroyed businesses and the presence of heavily armed police and military forces, Candero believes this is just the beginning.
This is the worst upheaval he’s seen in Angola in decades, comparable to the aftermath of the 1977 coup and the violence that followed the 1992 election.
Tens of thousands of Angolans have been killed as the country struggled with grip in the civil war that began in 1975 and ended in 2002. The death toll over the past month is only a small percentage, but the anger that follows is clear.
“Luanda is slowly regaining its normal rhythm, but obviously it’s another city. You can see signs throughout the city that the last day has happened,” said Mosaiko, director of the Luanda-based rights group.
Thousands took them to the streets of Africa’s third largest oil producer last Monday, protesting the government’s decision to cut fuel subsidies and increase diesel prices by a third from July 1st.
This followed the first round of protests on July 12th, but it was largely peaceful.
At least 22 people were killed in a clash between police and protesters last week, and 197 were injured, according to the government. More than 1,200 people have been arrested.
The anxiety was caused by a three-day strike by the Minibus Taxi Association to protest the decision the government has said is part of an essential budget containment measure.
“People live miserably.”
Angola has pressured the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to tighten its budget since 2023 since its last cut in fuel subsidies.
President Joao Rulenco has said that financial binding is necessary as subsidies account for around 4% of GDP and debt exceeds 60% of GDP.
Economic adjustment minister Jose de Lima Masano said last year’s fuel subsidies of approximately $3 billion equaled the budget for 1,400 infrastructure and development projects. Of these projects, 500 had to be stopped due to financial constraints.
Analysts say part of the problem is heavily dependent on Angola’s oil, which accounts for around 60% of government revenue and 95% of exports. However, the country produces only about 30% of the domestic fuel consumption demand from a lonely oil refinery dates back to colonial times.
Additionally, Angola is based on its 2025 budget on oil prices of $70 per barrel, but Brent oil futures fell below $60 in April after President Donald Trump announced a sharp rise in tariffs.
Carlos Rozado de Carvalho, a professor of economics at the Catholic University of Angola, said volatility in the oil market would put Angola in a volatile position.
“That’s a real problem [fuel] The subsidies amount to approximately $3 billion each year. This is more than the government is spending together on health and education,” De Carvalho said, suggesting that government hands were forced.
Nevertheless, he acknowledges that the timing of the new policy is far from ideal. It coincided with increased electricity and water tariffs of up to 50% and 30%, respectively.
De Carvalho estimates in July 2025 that the minimum wage only covered 66% of the basket of goods and services it did in 2017.
At the same time, low wages and rising unemployment have led to millions of Angolans facing poverty and hunger. “This is where we need to look for the cause of the popular uprising that marked Angola, particularly Luanda,” he said.
Worse, government leaders have failed to explain the motivation for the increase.
Angola’s commercial oil production began in the mid-1950s. In 2024, the government said it generated $31.4 billion from oil exports. That revenue is more than 10 times the amount spent on fuel subsidies.
Government critics say most of the country’s 36 million people have yet to see the benefits of living in a country blessed with natural wealth.
“Normal Angolans do not benefit from the wealth of the country’s natural resources due to high levels of corruption,” Candelo said.
“And as we see in all of Africa’s abundant natural resources countries, people are living miserable lives, especially when this exploitation is taking place.”
He does not accept the justification President Rurenko gave in his interview in an interview after the protest that Angola’s relatively low fuel prices justify a reduction in subsidies. The government also points out that discounted prices attract illegal cross-border traders from neighboring countries.
Candero argues that this does not justify a rise in fuel prices. He condemns decades of fraud control by the dominant movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) party, and believes there are other ways to put public spending under control.
“If the government really wants to cut spending, it should start by cutting spending on extra goods and services, reducing luxury perks for high public office, and suspending debt to buy a fleet of luxury cars.
“Keep your products cheap”
University of Nairobi-based development expert Attiya Waris is urging the Angolan government to rethink subsidies cuts.
“Fuel subsidies are important to keeping products cheap, and the government needs to make sure changes to fuel prices do not affect the cost of movement and baskets of goods. [for] People in the country report to the UN Human Rights Commission in February this year as independent experts on the impact of foreign debt on Angola’s human rights, Wallis said.
Her report warns that subsidies cuts could boost food price inflation and negatively affect vulnerable groups. She points out that the prices of basic staples like eggs have already increased by 400%.
The report recommends that governments conduct a comprehensive assessment of the economic and social impact of reducing fuel subsidies and seek alternative support mechanisms to mitigate the negative impact on low-income households.
World Bank researchers also support Wallis’ findings. They point out that removing subsidies can deepen poverty and inequality, and have dire consequences for certain sectors, such as fisheries and agriculture. Needless to say, it can lead to a nutritional crisis.
“To mitigate these effects, subsidies should be gradually eliminated and combined with a public awareness campaign on the benefits of targeted support for specific producers, cash transfers for affected households, and subsidies reform.”
However, the authors point out that fuel subsidies also have drawbacks. This includes disproportionate benefits to wealthy households, strain their finances, limit investments in physical and human capital, and encourage overconsumption of fossil fuels.
“The fight continues.”
The government’s handling of subsidies reforms has been widely criticized, especially after cracking down on protesters.
Human Rights Watch accused police of using excessive force after firing tear gas and rubber bullets at protesters on July 12 in the first round of protests over the cuts in grants.
Ashwanee Budou Schultz, deputy African director at Human Rights Watch, said the use of force is part of a wider trend in the security forces issue in Angola. She cited the protests in 2023 by 400 female traders in Luanda.
When Lurenko was elected for the second term in August 2022, Human Rights Watch made a series of recommendations to place human rights at the heart of government policies, including investigating repeated allegations of rights violations by Angola’s national security forces, including summaries, overuse of force against peaceful protesters, and voluntary threats.
“The Angolans should be able to peacefully protest against government policies without being satisfied with excessive force or other violations of their fundamental rights,” Boudhu Schultz said in a statement last month.
Despite criticism, President Lurenko on Friday praised police for “acting within their duties.”
In speeches across the country, he reminded the Angolans that this year marks 50 years of independence. Half of that was marked by the civil war. “[We] There can’t be any more acceptance or tolerance of pain or mourning among the Angolans,” he said.
He ended his speech with the words “Long Live Angora.”
Meanwhile, Candero and other civil society groups feel they are not approaching anywhere as a victory.
Overnight, transportation costs doubled to about 4,000 Kwanzaa ($4.36) per day for workers relying on public transport, such as minibus tax, above the daily wages of 53% of Angolans living at less than $3.65 per day and under $2.15 per day, according to the World Bank.
Candero said it is almost inevitable that rising costs of living will lead to more protests.
And with people on the streets that are economically hopeless, this could lead to looting, observers point out.
“Some people don’t agree to the destruction of businesses and other public goods. Others believe that causing economic and economic outcomes is a recall to the government. [harms many] By forgiving corruption,” Candelo said.
“For others, especially poor suburban youth, the fight continues until their social conditions, especially hunger reductions, are improved.
“These were symptoms alone. These demonstrations never stop until we addressed the underlying cause. This is no longer a taxi strike. It is the cry of hungry people for bread and dignity.”
