Adalberto Costa Júnior's statements came after the extraordinary session of the Council of the Republic, which he attended as leader of the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA).
The meeting, according to the final communiqué, focused solely on the public security situation in Angola, highlighting the events that occurred between July 28th and August 1st in the provinces of Luanda, Malanje, Huíla, Benguela, Cuango, Bengo, and Icolo e Bengo, marked by acts of vandalism, rioting, insurgency against law enforcement and security forces, as well as looting of public and private establishments.
According to the UNITA leader, several reports were presented during the session by the Minister of the Interior, the Minister of State for Economic Coordination, and the Minister of State and Chief of the Military Household of the President of the Republic.
Regarding what happened in the last week of July, the politician said that the government has taken a different stance from society's interpretation, with a tendency "to not pay particular attention to social and economic issues."
"The position of the institutions is always one that points to third parties and never to the slightest sharing of responsibility; that's not a good option. We have serious problems, we have major challenges. If anyone here thinks that the culprits are always others and we don't bear our own responsibility, they're not helping Angola move in the right direction," he emphasized.
Adalberto Costa Júnior emphasized that at the meeting he also heard "a very strong tendency to encourage internal distrust, disagreements that have been lingering since yesterday's conflict."
"We need to be very cautious about positions that may not bring great benefits if we don't look with some sensitivity at specific aspects related to Angola's difficulties and challenges, and if we also intend to find scapegoats for all the mistakes and shortcomings of governance," he added.
"By this I in no way wish to justify any acts of violence or riots that have occurred. On the contrary, they are always condemnable, but there were more than just simple reasons," he emphasized, expressing "some concern" about the scenario presented "with the involvement of those who incite violence, internally, and those who incite violence and these riots, externally."
For the UNITA leader, "it is important that those responsible do their job impartially, but do so responsibly."
The National Police's report from the three-day strike, organized by taxi associations and cooperatives in protest against rising fuel prices and public transportation fares, points to 30 deaths, 277 injuries, and 1,515 arrests.
