Thousands of Angolans took to the streets of Luanda on Saturday to protest against hunger, poverty and the current political leadership, following a call made on Thursday by the president of the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA), Adalberto Costa Jr.

Closely supervised by the police, around 4,000 people marched peacefully with placards criticizing the ruling Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) and President João Lourenço.

"The police don't belong to the MPLA. The police are the people's," the demonstrators shouted, as recorded by Voice of America.

Hundreds of citizens marched in the capital denouncing hunger, unemployment and the lack of housing as symbols of the socio-economic crisis plaguing the country.

The protests in Mozambique against the election result are encouraging young Angolans to express their revolt against Angola's economic conditions and João Lourenço's government. UNITA rejected its defeat in the 2022 elections and challenged the result in court, but the country's supreme court dismissed the petition.