Bishops in Angola’s Saurimo Ecclesiastical Province Condemn Use of Force on Protesters

They explain, “There is no drinking water or electricity, hospital and medical assistance is almost non-existent. The roads have deteriorated.”

For the Bishops, without solving the problems, “tranquility is illusory and precarious.”

According to a local media report, security agencies in the county used force to disperse the demonstrators who were breaking into a police station in an attempt to raise the movement’s flag, accusations that the leadership of the MPPLT has reportedly refuted. 

Referencing the discrepancy in the versions of what occurred, the Catholic Church leaders in Saurimo Ecclesiastical Province call for “serious investigation to ascertain the truth.” 

“After April, 2002, no Angolan should die or be killed for thinking differently,” say the Bishops in reference to the Angolan Civil War that started in 1975 and ended in 2002 with interludes.

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The Bishops’ call for investigations into the incident has been echoed by the officials of a US-based lobby group identified as Friends of Angola (FoA) who are calling on the leadership of the country to hold the security officers responsible for applying excessive force.

“We also hope that President (João) Lourenço will embrace democratic values, respecting the freedom of assembly and expression of Angolan citizens,” the leadership of FoA has been quoted as saying.

Magdalene Kahiu is a Kenyan journalist with passion in Church communication. She holds a Degree in Social Communications from the Catholic University of Eastern Africa (CUEA). Currently, she works as a journalist for ACI Africa.