Angolan authorities create a scapegoat to avoid the essence of the demonstrations

UNITA, the Angolan opposition, said on Monday that the authorities were creating a “scapegoat” to try to get away from the heart of the country’s problems, accusing him of alleged involvement in last Saturday’s demonstrations.

The general secretary of JURA, the youth branch of the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA, the largest opposition party), regrets that the Angolan police “entered the political field, while they are victims of the current social upheavals in the country.” -economic context.

“The security and law enforcement forces have never been as unfortunate as they are today, but they are embroiled in a political logic that is to try to fit in with the narrative created by the President of the (Republic) Joao Lourenço,” said Nelito Ecuiqui. Lusa.

For the leader of the United and Revolutionary Youth of Angola (JURA), João Lourenço “could not govern Angola in recent years”.

“What’s going on here is creating a scapegoat to try to get away from the core of the problem, which is the change in the price of gasoline, this is the base basket that has changed the price substantially,” he said.

He pointed to warehouse closures and crackdowns on street sales “in an economy that is 90% informal” as the basis for citizen protests.

“Now President Joao Lourenço cannot react to these problems, he needs to lay responsibility on third parties in order to elude the problem that he himself created,” Nelito Ekuykui stressed.

In a press release, the Angolan police accused UNITA deputies, leaders and fighters of being directly involved in organizing riots resulting from demonstrations, especially in Luanda and Benguela.

Nelito Equikui and Adriano Sapinala, UNITA provincial secretary in Luanda, attended the march in the Angolan capital.

Activists and civil society representatives were the promoters of a nationwide demonstration against rising fuel prices, the end of street vending and the NGO Law, which was dispersed in Luanda by the national police with tear gas bombs.

“In Luanda and Benguela, unlike what happened in other provinces, the organizers of the demonstrations did not comply with the necessary legal prerequisites and, not obeying the instructions on a predetermined route, distinguished themselves by riots, riots and violence against the police,” the report says, if it has not been transferred.

Ekuikui recalled that JURA at its meeting in Bailundo (Huambo Province) announced “full and unconditional support for this demonstration, which took place in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution and the law.”

“Therefore, this is in the statement, and we always assumed that we would be present, as we were,” he stressed.

The MP even called on the President of Angola to back down due to rising fuel prices.

“Reduce the price of gasoline, everything will return to normal, he (the president of the republic) can retreat, he is a man, and he is failing, and it’s not a fact that he is president, that he cannot be wrong, he is failing,” he said. .

He also advised the head of the Angolan state to take measures to stabilize the country’s economy, given that “if this happens, then the next day people will no longer be on the streets.”

“Because no one is instrumentalizing a hungry person, hunger itself is instrumentalizing, the problem is hunger, this is the problem, and if he solves this problem, he will definitely have a peaceful government, and we will be there to support him,” he said.

The UNITA politician also expressed regret over the suppression of the march due to disagreements between the demonstrators and the security forces, who, he said, at some point decided to cancel the agreed route.

“Because if they let the youth march towards the schools, there would be no incident, because it is a fact that at some point they blocked the road and this misunderstanding happened, which naturally turned into less than a moment,” concluded Nelito Ekuikui.

The demonstrations, which used “moderate and proportionate tactical operational means to restore public order”, have injured several participants, including civilians and seven police officers, according to police.