Four killed, hundreds arrested in Angola fuel hike protests

LUANDA (Reuters) -Violent protests in Angola over a fuel price hike killed at least four people and led to hundreds of arrests, with unrest continuing in a few parts of the capital Luanda on Tuesday, police said.

Monday's violence, which involved looting, acts of vandalism and clashes with police, followed a government decision early this month to increase the diesel price by one-third to ease the strain of costly fuel subsidies on public finances.

Minibus taxi associations, which in turn hiked their fares by up to 50%, launched a three-day strike to protest the move on Monday, when the violence erupted.

More than 500 people were arrested, and shops, banks, buses and private vehicles were vandalised, national police spokesperson Mateus Rodrigues told a press conference, saying there were still "pockets of disorder" in parts of Luanda.

The Southern African oil-producing country has been gradually cutting fuel subsidies since 2023, when protests over a petrol price hike also turned deadly.

(Reporting by Miguel Gomes;Writing by Sfundo Parakozov;Editing by Alexander Winning)

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