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At least four people have been killed and hundreds of others arrested after protests in Angola on Monday over a fuel price hike turned violent.
The unrest started on Monday and involved looting and clashes with police after the government announced it was increasing the price of diesel to limit the strain of fuel subsidies on public finances.
In response, local taxi associations in the capital Luanda raised their fares by 50% and began a three-day strike, when violence broke out.
More than 500 people were arrested after shops and banks were vandalised and some businesses looted, a police spokesperson said.
Police spokesperson Mateus Rodrigues said there were still “pockets of disorder” in Luanda and that around 45 shops and 20 public buses had been vandalised.
The ANATA taxi association distanced itself from the violent unrest but said its strike action would continue as planned.
It “has become clear that the voice of the taxi drivers reflects the outcry of the Angolan people,” ANATA said in a statement.
Angola is one of Africa’s largest oil producers, but the country does not have enough refineries to meet domestic demand, so it imports diesel and gasoline at high prices.
It has seen gradual cuts to fuel subsidies since 2023, when protests over a petrol price hike also turned deadly.
Security forces have often been accused of clamping down on protests in Angola, where the ruling People’s Movement for the Liberation of Angola party has been in power for 50 years since the country gained independence from Portugal in 1975.
