Angolan state security forces were implicated in serious human rights abuses, including more than a dozen extrajudicial executions and other unlawful killings, excessive use of force against peaceful protesters, and arbitrary detentions. Authorities continued to forcibly evict people and conduct demolitions without the necessary procedural guarantees or the provision of alternative adequate housing or adequate compensation for those evicted. The press was under attack on several occasions throughout the year, as authorities continued to use draconian media laws to repress and harass journalists. Freedom of association was under pressure as the government tried to pass a new nongovernmental organization (NGO) law limiting the activities of civil society groups. Women and girls, particularly street traders and migrants, continued to suffer abuses by security forces. In August, Angola assumed the one-year rotating presidency of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) regional body.
Abuses by State Security Forces
Angolan state security forces have been implicated in serious human rights abuses, including more than a dozen extrajudicial executions and other unlawful killings, excessive use of force against peaceful protesters, and arbitrary detentions, throughout 2023.
In February, men who identified themselves as Criminal Investigation Service (SIC) officials took into custody a group of young men whose bodies were found three days later at a hospital morgue in Luanda. The sister of one of the victims said that his body was found with bullet wounds and “holes in the head” and that the relatives of the other seven victims also found bullet wounds on their bodies.
In June, police officers in Huambo city fired on taxi drivers protesting an increase in fuel prices, which surged following the partial removal of government-funded fuel subsidies in the context of an ongoing International Monetary Fund (IMF) lending program. A police statement seen by Human Rights Watch confirmed the killing of five people. The media reported that as of June 7, the number of deaths had increased to eight after three people died from their injuries in the hospital. In a statement seen by Human Rights Watch, the Huambo police said “it was not possible to avoid” the killings, as officers tried to contain “acts of violence” by protesters who destroyed properties, confronted the authorities, and used burning tires to block roads.
Also in June, police fired tear gas in the capital, Luanda, and other cities, like Benguela and Namibe, as thousands of peaceful protesters took to the streets over the fuel price increases caused by the removal of government-funded subsidies. In the same month, police detained dozens of activists and artists, including the musician Pedro Sapalo, known as “Pedrito de Bié.” Sapalo told Human Rights Watch that he was accused of “inciting tribalism” for allegedly making the comparison between Bié and Bengo provinces.
Forced Evictions and Illegal Demolitions
Angolan authorities continued to forcibly evict people and conduct demolitions without the necessary procedural guarantees or the provision of alternative adequate housing or adequate compensation for those evicted.
In February, Angolan security forces raided Luanda’s Zango 3 neighborhood, forcibly evicting people and demolishing over 300 homes, leaving hundreds homeless. Residents said that those who refused to abandon their houses or who gathered to peacefully demonstrate against the security forces’ actions were beaten and arrested. Local authorities claimed the houses had been built illegally. In June, they acknowledged what they called “excesses” of the security forces during the evictions and pledged to relocate the homeless families to another area. At time of writing, the evicted residents had not been relocated.
Freedom of Expression and Media
The press was under attack on several occasions throughout 2023, as authorities continued to use draconian media laws to repress and harass journalists.
In September, authorities charged Angolan journalist Liberato Furtado Pereira with criminal defamation, insult, and forgery, after a complaint by prosecutor Elizete Francisco in connection with a November 2020 report alleging that Francisco used her personal account to collect payments due to the general prosecutor’s office. According to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), the prosecutor filed the complaint one day after Furtado sought her comment on the allegations.
In March, the privately owned Camunda News website suspended its operations indefinitely, following months of government harassment. In October 2022, the Angolan police National Criminal Investigation Service (SIC) interrogated the owner of the publication, David Boio, about an activist and co-host of one of the outlet’s shows; the activist is facing charges of rebellion and outrage against the president. According to CPJ, in February and March 2023, Boio and other Camunda News staff were again questioned for several hours about the outlet, the publication’s legal status, and funding.
In October, the prison sentence of Ana da Silva Miguel, a social media influencer popularly known as Neth Nahara, was increased from six months to two years for “insulting” and “disregarding” the president, after she used her TikTok account to accuse him of anarchy and disorganization.
Freedom of Association
Freedom of association was under pressure as the government tried to pass a new law limiting the work of civil society groups.
In May, the Angolan parliament voted on the first draft of the Law on the Status of Non-Governmental Organizations, which civil society groups said contradicts Angola’s international legal commitments to uphold the freedoms of expression and assembly.
Among other things, the law establishes a supervisory body with the power to dissolve NGOs without recourse to judicial proceedings and prohibits NGOs from engaging in “subversive acts or acts that could be perceived as such.” The law is currently undergoing revision by a special committee of parliament before being reapproved by the parliament and subsequently sent to the president for final sign-off.
The crackdown on peaceful protesters and activists in the Cabinda enclave continued in 2023, in violation of international law. Authorities refused all the requests by Cabinda pro-independence activists to peacefully assemble. Where meetings took place, police violently interrupted them and arbitrarily detained participants.
In March, Angolan security forces in pickup trucks raided Colegio Privado, a private school in Cabinda, breaking into one of the classrooms where dozens of people were attending a human rights workshop organized by a Christian NGO.
Three organizers and forty-five participants were arrested. Most were questioned and released within 48 hours, but their lawyers said that seven were charged with criminal association and rebellion, which carries criminal punishments of up to eight years in prison.
Rights of Women and Girls, Particularly Street Traders and Migrants
Security forces continued to commit serious human rights abuses against women and girls, particularly street traders and migrants.
In February, the Women’s Movement for Civil and Political Rights in Angola denounced physical attacks, mistreatment, and sexual harassment by police officers against local women street traders, also known as “Zungueiras”.
Also in February, media reported that according to a doctor, officials, and the UN, Angolan security force personnel and others raped Congolese women and children and otherwise abused them during mass expulsions of migrant workers over the preceding six months. Multiple media reports in April cited a yet-to-be published United Nations report that had documented the abuses.
In May, police with dogs fired tear gas without warning at a crowd of women vendors who had gathered to march from the local Sao Paulo market to the Luanda governor’s official residence to protest the city’s decision to reorganize informal street markets in some areas of the capital.
According to the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), some 30 percent of Angolan girls and 6 percent of boys are married before 18.
Key International Actors
In January, the European Union gave US$850,000 to Angola to finance four human rights projects, including on promoting sexual and reproductive rights, combating gender-based violence, and strengthening the right to information and freedom of expression.
Angola continued its efforts in conflict resolution and peacebuilding across central Africa, particularly in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. In March, the government announced it would send troops to the region, days after the peace talks it brokered did not end the fighting. A statement from the Angolan president’s office said the soldiers would be deployed to help secure areas that have been held by the M23 rebel group and to protect ceasefire monitors.
In August, Angola took up the one-year rotating presidency of the SADC regional body.
In September, United States Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin visited Angola and pledged to deepening cooperation “on military modernization, training in maritime security, and medical readiness.”