The following is based on a communication written by the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders and other UN experts to the Government of Angola on 25 February 2025. The communication remained confidential for 60 days before being made public, giving the Government time to reply. Regrettably, the Government did not reply within this timeframe. If a reply is received it will be posted on the UN Special Procedures communications database.
This is a shorter version of the original communication.
BACKGROUND
Topic: the sustained targeting of members of the Vikolôngwa-Mbútwa community, including reports of violent repression during a peaceful protest on 23 November 2024, and of the subsequent arbitrary arrest and detention of seven community members, including Mr. Sapalo António Kakandi, Ms. Francisca Tuahuma, Ms. Cecília Candumbo Mweyanavi, Mr. Paulo Cambuta Kapaya, Mr. Mwetuyapula Francisco, Mr. Eduardo Mbambi Licino Kessongo, and Mr. Eduardo Tchiama, as a result of their activism in the defence of land rights.
The Vikolôngwa-Mbútwa are a community residing near Chibia in the Huila province. The population’s access to their ancestral land is essential for the preservation of cultural heritage and for sustaining their socio-economic livelihood as a rural community, making threats to their land a substantial risk to their welfare. Mr. Sapalo António Kakandi, Ms. Francisca Tuahuma, Ms. Cecília Candumbo Mweyanavi, Mr. Paulo Cambuta Kapaya, Mr. Mwetuyapula Francisco, Mr. Eduardo Mbambi Licino Kessongo, and Mr. Eduardo Tchiama are members of the community that have been engaged in activities aimed at the protection of the community’s land rights, including peaceful protests.
ALLEGATIONS
The Vikolôngwa-Mbútwa community have faced persistent attempts at land appropriation by a local landowner, reportedly supported by national police officers. Despite their efforts to engage the municipal administrations of Chibia and Gambos, the community leaders have reportedly encountered intimidation and inadequate responses. The land in question reportedly contains properties and dwellings belonging to the community and has been used by community members for herding and farming for generations.
On 14 August 2024, the community formally requested the intervention of the Municipal Administrator of Chibia to address the land appropriation attempts, which were reportedly carried out with no prior consultation or dialogue with the local population. Meetings were subsequently held on 11 and 13 September 2024, during which community leaders reportedly faced accusations of being agitators and were allegedly threatened with police repression. The Municipal Administrator reportedly disregarded evidence presented by the community and threatened to deploy police forces after a community member invoked article 37 of the Land Law, which recognises customary rights of communities.
On 23 September 2024, the community appealed to the Provincial Governor of Huíla to address their concerns and to report intimidation. As of the time of writing, they have received no response.
On 23 November 2024, community members attempted to resist alleged illegal excavation work initiated by a local landowner. The excavation involved constructing a three-meter-wide and deep ditch around the disputed area, posing safety risks to residents and animals and signalling forced land appropriation. Despite notifying state security agents of this activity, the community reportedly received no support. Several individuals attempted to peacefully protest the work by occupying the ditch, with the goal of preventing the excavation.
That same day, national police forces arrived in four vehicles to protect the excavator, allegedly using tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse the peaceful protestors. The police reportedly used excessive force on the community members, with incidents including a person beaten with a gun butt leaving a forehead scar, another shot with rubber bullets in the stomach and waist, others shot above the eye, in the leg, and in the knee, and one individual kicked in the bladder three times.
Following the violent dispersal, seven community members, Mr. Sapalo António Kakandi, Ms. Francisca Tuahuma, Ms. Cecília Candumbo Mweyanavi, Mr. Paulo Cambuta Kapaya, Mr. Mwetuyapula Francisco, Mr. Eduardo Mbambi Licino Kessongo, and Mr. Eduardo Tchiama, were arrested.
Reportedly, Ms. Cecília Candumbo and Ms. Francisca Tuahuma, were purportedly subjected to degrading treatment: their wrists were tied to opposite ankles, forcing them into painful positions, with one woman having to crawl to meet basic needs and the other being forced to bend over with her. After their arrest, the seven individuals were detained at the Quihita police station. The group was reportedly denied access to food and water for more than 30 hours, until an acquaintance of one detainee was granted permission to provide sustenance. The detainees reported being forced to sleep on the floor without blankets, leaving them exposed to cold.
On 25 November 2024, Mr. Sapalo António Kakandi, Ms. Francisca Tuahuma, Ms. Cecília Candumbo Mweyanavi, Mr. Paulo Cambuta Kapaya, and Mr. Mwetuyapula Francisco were released on bail with restrictive conditions, including biweekly reporting to the Criminal Investigation Services of Chibia Municipality. Mr. Eduardo Mbambi Licino Kessongo and Mr. Eduardo Tchiama reportedly remain in detention in Lubango District, allegedly with no contact with their families, which raises concerns about their physical safety and well-being. Reportedly, while the delivery of certain goods to the place of detention was made possible, the restrictive bail conditions remain burdensome for the community members.
CONCERNS
In the communication, we express our serious concern regarding the reported arrest and detention of Vikolôngwa-Mbútwa community members, including Mr. Sapalo António Kakandi, Ms. Francisca Tuahuma, Ms. Cecília Candumbo Mweyanavi, Mr. Paulo Cambuta Kapaya, Mr. Mwetuyapula Francisco, Mr. Eduardo Mbambi Licino Kessongo, and Mr. Eduardo Tchiama, as a result of their activism in the defence of land rights, notably during the excavation protest on 23 November 2024. We express our concern that these arrests and detentions of community members appear to have been a direct retaliation for their legitimate human rights activities and the exercise of their right to freedom of peaceful assembly to protest the attempted land appropriation, which might put the community’s access to land and livelihoods at risk.
Our concern is heightened by reports indicating the excessive use of force against community members during the dispersal of a peaceful protest, alongside the reported detention conditions and degrading treatment some of them were allegedly subjected to. Notably, these conditions include the denial of basic rights such as access to adequate food and adequate living environments, which are essential to maintaining human dignity and compliance with established legal standards.
