Francisco Silva emphasized that the woman, Silvi Mubiala, was allegedly an illegal immigrant and participated in the looting, emphasizing that the police used proportionate measures to ensure the physical safety of the officers, "in the first instance, and to restore order" in the country.
The commander was speaking to the press at the end of a visit to a police station also affected by the riots between Monday and Wednesday in the capital and lamented the behavior of the citizens, "which does nothing to dignify" Angolans and has "nothing to do" with their characteristics.
The head of the National Police said that the woman killed in the presence of her minor son in the Caop neighborhood, municipality of Viana, was a foreign citizen "probably in an illegal immigrant situation in Angola, who was part of the groups that carried out looting, robberies, and disorder in public spaces."
"When that group attempted to rebel against the police officers, of course, the officer's physical integrity must be safeguarded first, and in this [situation] he was neutralized; unfortunately, he died," Francisco da Silva added.
"We regret the death, but unfortunately, the officer had to safeguard his life, his physical integrity, and preserve the authority of the State," he added.
According to the Commander-in-Chief of the National Police, the actions observed over the last three days, following a taxi service shutdown in protest against rising fuel prices and public transportation fares, were "a reprehensible act on all counts."
"We found visible signs of a break-in at the police station [which he visited this Thursday], but we don't know the motives. Fortunately, there was police intervention, ensuring that the station was neither vandalized nor damaged. This satisfies us, given the response that was given," he stated.
Francisco da Silva stated that the disorder, riots, and road closures occurred in two phases, with the first day of incidents seeing "several appeals, several warnings for people to refrain from such behavior."
"And, as a result of this, because they did not heed our recommendations, the police had to use the coercive measures authorized by law—I emphasize this—to restore order. And it was during this restoration of order that many people rebelled, protesters attempted to attack police officers—as we saw here at this station—invade police stations, and loot goods from stores," he stated.
According to Francisco da Silva, the police used proportionate measures to ensure the physical safety of the officers and restore order.
"We saw, in several videos, that the police deployed tear gas and other types of non-lethal weapons, but we also saw in several videos circulating on social media that the young people or citizens who carried out these acts were barely affected by these means and attacked the authorities with great courage. Therefore, what I can say is that the response was tailored to prevent the State from being undermined," he declared.
According to the Commander-in-Chief of the National Police, "nowhere in the world" does the Police allow the police station to be vandalized or the State institutions or private property to be undermined, admitting that the police response "resulted in the injuries of many individuals, which later resulted in deaths."
Regarding the death of a police officer on duty in the province of Icolo e Bengo during the riots, Francisco da Silva lamented his death, the victim of a shot "by people also involved in the looting, disorder, and arson on public roads."
"Unfortunately, we lost an officer, a member of staff, and we will do everything we can to clarify this case," he emphasized.
Residents of the Caop B neighborhood in Viana, on the outskirts of Luanda, told Lusa that Silvi Mubiala, 33, a mother of six, left her home on Tuesday to rescue one of her children, lost in the unrest, and who was shot at close range by Rapid Intervention Police (PIR) officers.
A video circulated on social media, showing the crying son sitting next to his mother's bloodied body, sparked outrage and calls for justice.
