Playing Hardball

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Amnesty International on Wednesday accused Angolan police of killing at least 17 protesters over the past 30 months and using excessive force to suppress demonstrations, a report that came days after thousands of people protested in the capital Luanda to denounce growing poverty and authoritarianism, Agence France-Presse reported.

In its report, Amnesty detailed police actions at 11 protests between November 2020 and June 2023, where officers fired live bullets, deployed tear gas, and carried out arbitrary arrests.

The document highlighted the January 2021 crackdown in the eastern mining town of Cafunfo, where police killed at least 10 demonstrators. In another deadly incident in June 2023, authorities allegedly shot four demonstrators, including a 12-year-old boy, in the central city of Huambo.

The human rights group criticized Angolan authorities under the administration of President João Lourenço for failing to hold officers or their superiors accountable, writing that they consistently stifle the constitutional right to peaceful assembly, AFP wrote separately.

The report’s findings come days after around 4,000 people joined a peaceful opposition-led protest in Luanda to condemn poor governance and economic hardship.

Supporters of the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola party (UNITA) carried banners declaring “Lourenço leave” and “people are dying of hunger” as they marched under close police surveillance.

Demonstrators also called attention to severe drought and hunger gripping southern Africa, which the United Nations said has left millions struggling to find food.

UNITA secretary general Álvaro Chikwamanga blamed the governing People’s Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) for the worsening conditions, accusing it of failing to address poverty despite Angola’s vast oil wealth.

Tensions in the country have especially been running high since parliament passed a controversial “vandalism law” in August, that critics say forbids protests, Deutsche Welle noted.

The law criminalizes filming police misconduct, with penalties of up to 10 years in prison. Vandalism offenses, including property damage, can carry sentences of 20 to 25 years.

Critics lambasted the bill, saying it violates constitutional rights and deters citizens from demonstrating. Civic groups have accused the government of weaponizing the law to silence dissent.

Opposition leaders and activists vow to continue protesting until authorities repeal the law.