Speaking to the press, National Police spokesperson Deputy Commissioner Mateus Rodrigues said that acts of vandalism had been recorded since the early hours of this Monday, causing disruptions to public order and tranquility in some parts of the province.
In a public statement "decrying" these practices, Mateus Rodrigues said that break-ins had been carried out at commercial and other establishments, which the police "strongly" discourage.
"We would like to immediately appeal to citizens involved in this type of behavior to stop this behavior," he said, emphasizing that the police are using all their resources and personnel to restore legality.
"All the police personnel and resources are on the streets to ensure we return to peace. Several arrests have already been made, and these individuals will be brought to justice so they can be held accountable," he said.
"Once again, we want to reiterate our repudiation of these acts, our public condemnation of these acts, warn citizens involved in these practices to stop, and assure law-abiding citizens that everything is being done to return the situation to normal in the coming hours," he added.
When asked about images circulating on social media of people allegedly injured in these acts, Mateus Rodrigues reiterated that forces are on the ground, ensuring that the situation will return to normal.
"This specific case of a citizen who was lying on the ground without being able to receive assistance has already been resolved. We have been able to provide assistance. We are currently unable to provide information about the citizen's health condition, but we can say that the situation is increasingly returning to normal thanks to the actions of our forces on the streets," he emphasized, adding that it was not possible to specify the number of arrestees at this time, "because the actions are still ongoing."
Mateus Rodrigues emphasized the need to separate what is happening this Monday, which, he said, has nothing to do with a peaceful protest.
"A strike, which is a highly peaceful protest, is one thing, and the acts we are witnessing are another. We are witnessing genuine acts of vandalism, including theft and destruction of public property, so we can't call this a strike," he emphasized, rejecting the idea that the situation is beyond the police's control.
Until Wednesday, the last day of the strike, the police will increase measures "whenever the threat level dictates," he stressed.
Earlier this month, the price of diesel rose from 300 to 400 kwanzas per liter as part of the government's gradual withdrawal of fuel subsidies, which began in 2023, leading to an adjustment in public transportation fares.
Faced with rising diesel prices, the National Land Transportation Agency (ANTT) increased the price of shared taxis (occasional passenger transport) from 200 to 300 kwanzas and the fare for urban buses from 150 to 200 kwanzas.
Taxi drivers emphasize that more than 15 days have passed without the government "hearing the taxi drivers' cry for help," which is why "the taxi driver associations and cooperatives ANATA, ATA, CTMF, ATLA, CTCS, 2PN, and AB-TAXI" have decided to suspend taxi services on the 28th, 29th, and 30th of this month.
In the early hours of this Monday, taxi ranks were overcrowded in several parts of the province, with many videos circulating on social media reporting the situation, including acts of vandalism in shops, stoned buses, road barricades, and burning tires.
