Staff Reporter
THE timely deployment of armed police officers on the streets of the Angolan border town of Santa Clara, opposite Oshikango, probably prevented an “international incident” last week when a large number of young people started agitating against the presence, at local filling stations, of vehicles with Namibian number plates.
They accused Namibians of being responsible for the constant running out of fuel at the pumps.
Armed police officers were deployed on the streets to prevent disturbances. They controlled people’s and vehicular movements and demanded to see the ID card or travel document of anyone moving from or towards the border.
Last week, Angolan bus and taxi associations announced a three-day protest against the fuel price hike, but the protest degenerated into rioting, looting, and vandalism of public and private infrastructure in Luanda and other parts of the country.
At least 22 people were killed and over 1,200 were arrested.
Meanwhile, at the Namibia/Angola border, the illegal importation of Angolan fuel — which is still relatively cheaper — continues unabated despite efforts by both Namibian and Angolan police to root it out.
Photo: Contributed
