Background

Many Angolans, particularly youth, faced poverty and hunger due to low wages and high unemployment. Such hardship was compounded on 4 July when the government increased fuel prices and public transport fares doubled. Civil society activists called for protests against the increases to begin on 12 July, while taxi driver associations called for three days of strike action between 28 and 30 July. Violent clashes erupted during protests, and there were reports of acts of vandalism and looting in the capital, Luanda. Over 30 people died, more than 200 were injured and some 1,214 people were arrested.

Arbitrary arrests and detentions

Trade unionists, opposition members, journalists, human rights defenders and civil society activists were arbitrarily arrested and detained.

During a peaceful demonstration on 16 February in the city of Ndalatando, the National Police of Angola (PNA) arrested parliamentarians Francisco Fernandes Falua and João Quipipa Dias of the opposition National Union for Total Independence of Angola party, along with several other protesters. António Domingos, a journalist covering the protests, was also arrested. The protesters demanded an investigation into multiple murders of women in Cuanza Norte province. According to Diário Independente newspaper, no investigations had been carried out into the killings of some 16 women between February 2024 and January 2025. Days before their arrest, the parliamentarians met the governor of Cuanza Norte and the public prosecutor to demand investigations with a view to bringing suspected perpetrators to justice. All the detainees were released without charge hours later.

On 4 May, António Frederico Gonçalves was arrested at his home in Luanda by the Service for Criminal Investigation (SIC). He remained in detention without being charged or brought before a judge and was denied access to a lawyer and family members. He was held in connection with allegations that he had created and posted on social media a video calling on Angolans to show unity with Ibrahim Traoré, Burkina Faso’s interim president. In the video, he claimed that the government supported a plan by the US administration to kill President Traoré and he called for the US embassy in Luanda to be attacked and burned. António Frederico Gonçalves was released on 11 October under conditions requiring him to appear before the prosecutor each week. He was also prohibited from leaving Luanda province.

On 28 July, André Miranda, a political activist and human rights defender, was arrested by SIC officers while filming the first day of the three-day strike action protest in Luanda (see above, Background). He was taken to the 19th Police Station in Mayanga and transferred on 7 September to the Comarca de Viana prison, where he awaited trial on charges of vandalism and criminal association.

Also on 28 July, suspected SIC members shot activist Serrote José de Oliveira in the leg while he was livestreaming the strike action protest. They arrested him and held him incommunicado until 1 August when he was presented before a court in Luanda but not charged. On 6 August he was taken without his lawyers being notified to the Comarca Central District of Luanda prison, where he spent several hours before being returned to SIC custody. He was later transferred to Calomboloca prison in Ícolo e Bengo province, where he remained at the end of the year. He was denied access to medical treatment despite his injury and deteriorating health.

Following the protests, on 31 July SIC arrested and detained Rodrigo Luciano Catimba, the vice-president of the National Association of Taxi Drivers of Angola, and on 8 August Francisco Paciente, its president. On 11 August, SIC arrested four men – Francisco Eduardo, president of the Association of Taxi Drivers of Angola; Rafael Ginga Inácio, president of the Cooperative of Community Taxi Drivers of Angola; António Alexandre Freitas, president of the Cooperative of Motorcyle Taxi Drivers of Angola; and Pedro Fernandes, president of the Cooperative 2 PN. On 13 August Leonardo Lopes, president of the Association of Taxi Drivers and Minibus Operators of Angola, was also arrested. Five of the men remained in detention at the end of the year on allegations of incitement to violence, terrorism, criminal association and vandalism. Pedro Fernandes was released on 20 August on the basis of insufficient evidence.

Freedom of peaceful assembly

On 29 March the PNA, armed with guns and batons, used unnecessary and excessive force to suppress a peaceful protest against gender-based violence organized by the United We Are Stronger movement in Luanda. At least 10 men and women were arbitrarily arrested on grounds that the protest was unauthorized. Police forced protesters to remove T-shirts bearing slogans condemning gender-based violence and confiscated their mobile phones. Among those arrested were some of the organizers – Leonela Massocolo, Marisa Sofá, Marcela Mateus and Sávio Gonga. They were released and their mobiles returned at around 5pm the same day following their lawyers’ intervention.

On 15 April, the PNA banned a peaceful protest organized by farmers and motorcycle taxi drivers against the decision of the Uíge provincial government to ban motorcycle taxis and buses from the Uíge-Quitexe route, among other routes. The provincial government claimed the ban was to prevent the occurrence of frequent accidents on this route. Despite the ban, the protesters went ahead, and dozens were reportedly injured when the PNA fired rubber bullets and tear gas.

On 26 April, the PNA arrested around 162 people from a student protest in Luanda, which had been organized by leaders of the Angolan Students Movement (MEA) and demanded improvements in public education, particularly the recruitment of better-qualified teachers. Among them were at least four journalists covering the event, about 150 students and eight MEA leaders. Most were released the same day without charge. The MEA leaders, including Joaquim Lutambi, vice-president; Jones Sebastião Damião, Luanda provincial secretary; Simão Formiga, Ícolo e Bengo provincial secretary; and Nsimba Matamba, national secretary for primary education, were held until 28 April when the Court of Luanda acquitted them of disobedience charges because of insufficient evidence.

Security forces met the July protests against fuel price increases (see above) with excessive force and arrests. Police used tear gas, dogs and batons to break up the protest on 12 July. At least 17 protesters were arrested, including Osvaldo Caholo, a human rights defender. One of them suffered from the effects of tear gas. On 19 July, nine protesters were injured by security forces; 17 others were arrested and accused of incitement to rebellion. All but one of them were released without charge the same day.

Security forces arrested at least 10 activists and a lawyer ahead of protests planned for 11 November against unemployment and poverty. On the day, security forces surrounded the Santa Ana cemetery in Luanda where the protest was to begin. Eighteen activists were arrested, 16 of whom were released without charge hours later, while two – Sebastião Neto and Armando Alberto – remained in detention.

Unlawful killings

On 17 May, the Rapid Intervention Police killed Pedro Sebastião Mukengo while officers were trying to disperse a crowd of people who had gathered for a street party in Luanda’s B Street, Vila Flor neighbourhood. Officers arriving at the scene fired tear gas, generating panic among the party-goers. When the crowd did not disperse, they used live ammunition, shooting Pedro Sebastião Mukengo who died at the scene. A post-mortem confirmed he died from a gunshot wound, countering the authorities’ statement that he was stabbed. No information was made available to indicate that his killing was being investigated.