Luanda - Angolan police clashed with protesters and arrested dozens of people as thousands took to the streets in Luanda and other cities on Saturday to demonstrate against a hike in fuel prices.
More than 70 people were arrested in the western city of Benguela over acts of vandalism, a provincial police spokesman told local media.
Police did not immediately respond to enquiries about potential arrests or injuries in other cities.
In Luanda, a heavy police presence patrolled the streets from the morning, before firing tear gas to disperse a crowd that had gathered in the east of the capital.
The demonstrations were the latest in a wave triggered by the African country's decision to cut subsidies for petrol, as the economy suffers from a slide in oil prices.
Organised by civil society groups, the rallies on Saturday were endorsed by opposition parties which, in a joint statement on Friday, said the subsidy cut was rushed and did not consider Angolans' living standards.
The opposition also decried the authorities' heavy-handed response to the protests, saying 11 people have so far been killed.
At least five died earlier this month, in the central city of Huambo, as police opened fire on a demonstration of taxi and motorbike drivers that authorities said had turned violent.
Angola is one of the largest oil exporters in Sub-Saharan Africa, alongside Nigeria, but has little refining capacity.
The decision to cut subsidies aimed at curbing government spending, but resulted in sharp fuel price hikes.
"Removing subsidies allows the government to save some cash," said independent analyst Marisa Lourenço. "Of course, it's also coming at a bad time for the population, amid high inflation that is eroding the value of the local currency."
The kwanza started to weaken sharply in May, as oil prices ebbed and analysts say the central bank stopped propping it up.
Over the past month, the currency has plunged more than 25% against the dollar.
Under President João Lourenço, who was re-elected for a second term last year, the country has moved to lure foreign investors and diversify its oil-dependent economy.
But reforms are yet to translate into better living standards for many of the country's 33 million people. Unemployment and poverty remain high.
Earlier this month, Lourenço sacked influential Economic Co-ordination Minister Manuel Nunes Junior and replaced him with Angola's central bank governor José Massano.
Agence France-Presse (AFP)