Luanda, July 30, 2025 (Lusa) - Angolan food trade and distribution companies on Wednesday described the protests followed by looting in commercial establishments, especially in Luanda, as a “disaster”, stressing that the costs for recovery and losses are still to be assessed.
“At this moment, member companies have suffered some damage and are assessing the cost and time needed for recovery to submit to the government and see what solution we can find,” said Raul Mateus, head of the Association of Modern Trade and Distribution Companies of Angola (ECODIMA), today.
Speaking to Lusa on the third and final day of the taxi drivers' strike in Luanda, after two consecutive days of riots, vandalism, disturbances and looting of commercial establishments, he admitted that companies with goods insurance could be compensated.
Raul Mateus said he did not believe that insurance covering vandalism existed due to the “extremely high costs”, but said that contacts were already underway with government authorities to mitigate the expenses of the affected companies.
“I believe that vandalism insurance does not exist because it is very expensive, the costs are extremely high, but we have been talking to the government to find ways for the government to mitigate these expenses for companies, and there has been an ongoing dialogue,” he noted.
Without giving figures, the head of ECODIMA said that companies are still assessing the damage, noting that the process must be detailed and legally supported, at a time when companies are closed and without employees.
“It is difficult to make an assessment, so we will wait, because it has to be supported by documentation so that we are credible and can begin discussions to compensate companies for the losses they have suffered,” he argued.
Several warehouses belonging to different commercial chains operating in Luanda were vandalised and looted on Monday and Tuesday by a number of citizens following a strike called by the National Association of Angolan Taxi Drivers (ANATA), which has already condemned and distanced itself from such acts.
Scenes of looting in commercial establishments were also reported in the provinces of Bengo and Icolo and Bengo, as reported by the Angolan press and confirmed by the national police.
Raul Mateus justified the closure of some businesses following the vandalism, saying it was to safeguard the lives of employees and customers, adding that the institutions are waiting for a statement from the authorities before resuming work in safety.
“When the authorities issue a statement that there is stability, then we will resume commercial activity, but bear in mind that companies are suffering losses, not least because they are closed, and at the end of the month they have financial obligations, they have to pay salaries and a series of commitments that cannot be reduced,” he pointed out.
The leader of ECODIMA, which has 75 members in all Angolan provinces, condemned the riots that occurred with looting in warehouses and commercial establishments, saying that the action was "exploited by criminals".
“According to what I heard from the ANATA statement, the taxi drivers did not encourage looting, which is a crime, so much so that the residents themselves in some neighbourhoods chased away these criminals (...), because this hurts the country, the economy and many people will lose their jobs, which we must avoid,” the Angolan businessman concluded.
At least 22 people died and 197 others were injured in the riots in Luanda over the past two days, Interior Minister Manuel Homem announced today, assuring that the public security situation in the country "is stable."
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Lusa
