🔗 Share this article

Inhabitants in sections within the Angolan capital continue to be apprehensive to speak openly about July’s events, when demonstrations paralyzed urban life and disturbances rocked several regions.

Starting out as a call among taxi drivers to oppose increased petrol costs turned into 72 hours of hostilities, causing at least 30 deaths and thousands of detentions.

Streets became impassable with flaming tires, shops were looted, and clashes occurred between activists and police.

This marked one of the largest outbreaks of dissent since the conclusion of the internal conflict in 2002.

Root Factors: Economic Hardship and Inequality

Preceding oil-rich Angola marking 50 years of independence from Portugal, the demonstrations underscored ongoing worries about impoverishment and social inequality.

Across districts where dissent was most intense, limited individuals are inclined to share views publicly, worried about retaliation or persecution due to widespread detentions during and after the unrest.

"Things may have spun out of hand, but we needed to be this vocal to wake up those in power," commented a youthful informal seller from Luanda who requested anonymity.

After exiting school before completing secondary education, he now vends refreshments along one of the capital's most traversed thoroughfares to sustain his family.

This individual represents countless people grappling to survive amid modern infrastructures erected by energy wealth.

Joblessness Among Young People Propels Frustration

According to him, joining the initial phase of rallies was a way to demonstrate that "we have a voice" and that individuals in his situation are entitled to a piece of the wealth of a country that is "affluent for a few, but miserable for a large segment of us."

Lack of employment for the youth has been a key factor of protests in this youthful country where the typical age is under 16.

Unemployment among young adults is at 54%, according to national data. Out of numerous young people of employment age, only a fraction have jobs in the regulated economy – implying they get regular wages and fulfill fiscal duties.

In Angola's main cities, many jobless young people who are no longer in school highlight the state's difficulty in meeting their ambitions.

"I merely trade on the street when I can obtain adequate cash to buy the products," the peddler remarked. "There are months when I make no sales because business is so sluggish. I and countless others live like this, and no one notices us. That’s why we can't stay silent."

Sociological Perspective

Local expert Gilson Lázaro was expecting by the July events. He contends that those at the center of the demonstrations were the "dispossessed."

"This group consists of young people, the most, who have little remaining but their lives. That is why they protested publicly without fear," he commented.

The uprisings arose without planning in some of Luanda's more crowded and underprivileged neighborhoods, where some locals lack access to fundamental amenities as well as other necessary utilities.

Over time, demonstrators moved into the capital's central roads, causing disorder and "revealing a social problem that has long existed but which the political elite has preferred to ignore," according to the expert.

"Over recent years, Angola has been heading towards a profound social, economic, and, above all, leadership trust crisis. The root cause is the flawed way the country has been run since the end of the civil war in 2002," Dr. Lázaro added.

State Position

The Angolan government has expressed a contrary perspective.

A government official did not acknowledge a inquiry for input on the events and their aftermath, but in a official declaration, President João Lourenço made his position clear.

He denounced the protests as "deeds committed by reckless individuals, directed by disloyal domestic and international organizations through digital networks, bringing mourning, destruction of government and civilian possessions, limited availability to critical products and support, and layoffs for Angolans."

Financial Struggles

In spite of multiple pledges to expand beyond oil, Angola remains concentrated in oil and gas, which are by far the country's primary overseas sales as well as the major origin of government revenue.

"Mineral wealth are beneficial, but the problem lies in how earnings are utilized," local financial expert Francisco Paulo stated. "Had Angola adopted examples like Norway or Saudi Arabia, using oil wealth to bolster non-oil sectors and train its labor pool, it would be a advantage. Regrettably, revenues here are wasted on frivolous outlays with no added value."

After the ouster of former President Dos Santos, Angola endured five straight years of economic contraction between 2017 and 2021.

Recovery only returned in 2022, mainly fueled by non-oil sectors. But recent growth has had little impact on the conditions faced by the population.

In a report this year, the World Bank estimated that more than a third of the population subsist with less than $2.15 per day.

The report indicated that while the economy was expanding, it was not matching population growth, meaning that, on average, people were getting poorer.

Looking Ahead

Ahead of the sovereignty commemorations, plans including entertainment gatherings, presidential medal ceremonies, and a football match including Argentinian Lionel Messi are in active preparation.

But young scholar Lea Komba challenges the old socialist slogan "one people, one nation," popularized during the historical single-party system of the late 1970s.

"It's simply not true that we all share the same reality. There is massive disparity. Young people in neglected zones are almost subjected to extreme poverty, without quality education or good work, even if they study hard and earn a degree," she said.

"This demographic think with their stomachs, because hunger leaves them with no alternatives. They are the ones who took to the roads."

The student added that "government leaders must look at root causes, not just outcomes."

"The looting was simply the way young people found to generate focus from those in power."

She believes that there {could