Six out of 10 young people in Cafunfo, the Angolan mining town where dozens of people were killed in a protest in 2021, say they are afraid to express themselves, according to a study released on Tuesday.
For 70% of young people, poverty and violence are among the main problems, the study ‘Akweze Cafunfo. Deafening Silence’ on the human rights situation of young people in this mining area of Lunda Norte province, promoted by the Mosaiko organisation and presented in Luanda.
A thousand inquiries were validated on young people aged between 15 and 35 in various neighbourhoods of Cafunfo, located in the municipality of Cuango, where the incidence of poverty reaches 90.4% of the population.
The mining town, which has no clear administrative or political status, has an estimated population of around 150,000 inhabitants and is located near the Sociedade Mineira do Cuango, a diamond mining area with an average production of 28,000 carats per month.
Of the young people surveyed, only 22% of whom have completed secondary school are mostly unemployed (60%), with 23% in informal jobs, 4% in formal jobs and 8% engaged in garimpo (illegal diamond mining). In comparison, 5% said they were not old enough to work.
About 30% said they earned less than 15,000 kwanzas (€15) a month, and 16% earned between 26,000 and 40,000 kwanzas, while 39% said their income was insufficient to support their family.
In Mosaiko’s report, 44% of the participants said that human rights are completely disrespected or poorly respected by the local authorities and the Luanda government, and 27% would prefer not to answer.
Among these rights, the greatest dissatisfaction was with access to public energy (91%), access to drinking water and the right to basic sanitation (87%). In comparison, 83% said they were not very or not at all satisfied with the right to leisure and public spaces, the right not to be arbitrarily detained and the right to justice.
Freedom to come and go received the highest level of satisfaction, with 40% satisfied or very satisfied.
Problems are usually reported to the police (53%), says the study, according to which ‘this result points to a scenario of compliance in a highly securitised town, both by law enforcement and private companies, where distrust reigns’.
Most respondents gave a negative assessment of Cafunfo: 57% think the town is not peaceful, safe or quiet; 69% say there is a lot of poverty. 69% say there is a lot of violence, 57% indicate that life is complicated because of immigrants and 45% think life is difficult because of the mining industry, which they say does not contribute to development (67%).
Young people were also asked about freedom of expression, with 58% stating that people are afraid to participate and express themselves freely. In comparison, 18% disagreed, and 24% chose not to answer.
They were also asked about the events of 31 January 2021, which became known as the ‘Cafunfo Massacre’ and 54% considered that justice had not been done, 20% answered ‘I don’t know’, 17% preferred not to answer, and only 9% said yes.
The incident, which killed an undetermined number of people in Cafunfo (between less than ten in the official version and more than 50 in the version of non-governmental organisations and activists) had different versions: the Angolan police said it was an attack on the police station in an act of rebellion by the Lunda Tchokwe Protectorate Movement. At the same time, residents and members of the movement spoke of an attempted demonstration against poor living conditions that was violently repressed.
Lusa
