Africa-Press – Mauritius. Angolan civil society groups are calling on the Argentine Football Federation and star player Lionel Messi to cancel a planned friendly match set for November.
This plea follows violent protests in Angola that resulted in the deaths of thirty people. The football associations of both nations had been negotiating a match date in Luanda as part of Angola’s fiftieth independence anniversary celebrations.
In an open letter addressed to the Argentine Football Association, the national team, and Messi’s charity foundation, four civil society organizations accused Angolan authorities of systematic repression.
They argued that withdrawing from the match would represent a noble gesture of international solidarity and respect for human rights.
These organizations, which include Catholic, legal, and pro-democracy groups, highlighted that despite Angola being one of Africa’s leading oil producers, around one-third of its nearly thirty-eight million residents live in poverty.
The protests were sparked by fuel price increases and escalated into violence, leaving over two hundred seventy people injured and about fifteen hundred arrested during the most significant unrest in decades.
The letter expressed concern that while public funds are directed towards major sporting events, many citizens are grappling with chronic hunger and widespread food insecurity.
A report from the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization indicates that 22.5% of Angola’s population suffers from undernourishment.
The groups emphasized that only a small number benefit from economic opportunities, primarily those connected to the ruling MPLA party, which has been in power since Angola’s independence from Portugal in 1975.
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