Five people killed over petrol protest in Angola

ANGOLA – Five people have been killed in central Angola after police opened fire on a group of taxi drivers and other demonstrators who were protesting high petrol prices after the government’s decision to reduce fuel subsidies. Police had said Monday that it was not possible to avoid, regrettably, the death of 5 citizens and the injury of 8 others, following the acts of violence and confrontation with the police forces. 34 people have been arrested, the police said in the statement.

The protests came after the government announced subsidy cuts for petrol, which resulted in sharp fuel price hikes in the oil-rich southern African nation. The decision also triggered protests led by the country’s largest opposition party, the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA), in the country’s capital of Luanda last week. The clashes by mainly taxi and motorbike drivers against security forces in Huambo, some 620 kilometres southeast of Luanda, began on Monday morning.