Africa-Press – Angola. The non-governmental organization (NGO) Amnesty International (AI) today highlighted serious human rights violations in Angola and Mozambique in 2024, with emphasis on violent repression of protests, arbitrary arrests and abuses related to social and political crises.
In its annual report released on “The Situation of Human Rights in the World”, the organization denounced the brutal repression by security forces against peaceful demonstrations in Angola.
“The Angolan National Police (PNA) repressed at least seven protests against the continued detention of activists (…), the high cost of living, the denial of workers’ rights and the possibility of President João Lourenço serving a third term in power,” the document reads.
AI also noted that enforced disappearances continue to be a common practice in the country, as does the intimidation and arbitrary arrest of journalists and human rights defenders, contributing to an environment of fear and self-censorship in the country’s media.
The NGO also highlighted that Angola was affected by the worst drought induced by the El Niño climate phenomenon in more than a century, particularly affecting the southern provinces of the country, such as Cunene, Huíla and Namibe.
The climate crisis has compromised agricultural production and exposed around 5% of the population, especially women and children, to food insecurity, with the situation being aggravated by the Government’s planned cuts in fuel subsidies.
In Mozambique, after the October 2024 elections, “security forces unleashed the worst repression in recent years against protests, resulting in the deaths of at least 277 people, including children and innocent victims.”
The province of Cabo Delgado, where an armed conflict is taking place between insurgent groups and government forces, continued to be a hotspot for human rights violations, with at least 20 civilian deaths caused by armed groups and pro-government militias.
“Journalists have been victims of intimidation, harassment, threats and attacks,” in an attack on the right to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly, AI adds.
On the other hand, “the police did not protect people from kidnapping by criminals,” further undermining the safety of the population. In Brazil, the organization pointed out that actions by security forces continued to disproportionately affect people of African descent.
According to the Ministry of Human Rights, an “80% increase in human rights violations against Afro-Brazilian religious communities” was recorded and 342 violations were documented by the Ministry of Racial Equality in the first half of 2024 alone.
AI also criticized the fragility of the Human Rights Defenders Protection Program, present in less than half of Brazilian states, leaving activists, indigenous and quilombola leaders exposed to threats and murder.
Equatorial Guinea, which is also part of the Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLP), is one of the “many countries” on the African continent where Amnesty says that “arbitrary arrests and detentions of opposition activists and human rights defenders have been recorded”.
In the country, Annobón residents have been persecuted for protesting against damage to their homes, farmland and the island’s ecosystem, allegedly due to constant dynamite explosions linked to mining operations.
Following the protests, “more than 30 people from Annobón were arrested and detained”, and mobile phone and internet services were shut down for several weeks.
The “State of Human Rights in the World” report is an annual report by Amnesty International and highlights human rights problems recorded throughout the year, at regional and global level.
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