News
Statement on Events in Benguela and Luanda, Angola
The Platform for African Democrats – a gathering of African leaders committed to democracy and accountability – held its third annual meeting in Angola on 14 March 2025, despite every effort by the Angolan regime to prevent the meeting from taking place.
In recognising the centrality of democracy to improving African governance, the PAD was established in 2023 as a forum to strengthen the performance of African political parties by sharing experiences and identifying best electoral and party political practices.
The location was chosen since Angola is the current Chair of the African Union. The same weekend, the African Union held its summit in Addis Ababa to hand over authority to President João Lourenço. It should be noted that the theme of the AU over the next year is ‘Justice for Africans and People of African Descent Through Reparations’.
The Benguela event, entitled ‘The Future of Democracy in Africa’, was to build on previous PAD summits in Gdansk, Poland and Cape Town, South Africa, where ways of bringing greater openness and democratic accountability in the face of growing authoritarianism were discussed.
The PAD is hosted by an international consortium of democrats, including The Brenthurst Foundation and the World Liberty Congress. The event in Benguela was to be attended by several past heads of state and dignitaries, members of government, and leaders from civil society and opposition parties.
Among those who flew to Angola were HEs Ian Khama, the former President of Botswana, Moeketsi Majoro, the former Prime Minister of Lesotho, Andrés Pastrana Arango, the former President of Colombia, and Othman Shariff, First Vice President of Zanzibar.
The Angolan regime responded to the meeting with the following steps:
1. Several delegates were refused visas for ‘technical reasons’, including those from Uganda.
2. Twelve delegates – who either had visas or were eligible for visas on arrival – were held at the airport and deported before being allowed to enter, including guests from Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda, Tanzania, Mozambique and South Sudan.
3. Another group including President Khama, Prime Minister Majoro, President Pastrana, Vice-President Othman and 24 others were detained at the airport for as long as nine hours with no explanation. Their passports were returned and they were released when it was too late for them to make the scheduled flight to Benguela.
4. The government claimed that it would make up for these actions by providing transport to get the delegates to Benguela the following day. However, several vehicles ‘broke down’ en route to the airport, several different airport destinations were given, and ultimately no aircraft was made available.
The above actions point to a systematic and cynical campaign to attack and undermine progress towards democracy and accountability in Africa by a regime which presents itself as a democracy. At no point were those held given any explanation for their detention or for the deportation of the others.
The true nature of the Angolan regime has been exposed. It is willing to humiliate and embarrass former African heads of government and those wishing to discuss democracy in a desperate attempt to hold back the tide of progress towards people-centred societies in Africa.
Through his security and immigration officials, President João Lourenço has demonstrated an unwillingness to countenance even the discussion of ideas around democracy by fellow Africans concerned with moving the continent forward to a future where all its people benefit from its incredible wealth of resources.
We, the undersigned invitees and participants in the Benguela meeting condemn these actions in the strongest possible terms. We call on President Lourenço to issue a public apology to the heads of state who were held, the delegates who were deported and those who were harassed by his regime’s efforts to halt the meeting.
This experience has had the opposite effect to that intended by the Angolan regime.
African democrats emerge from this experience stronger than ever and in solidarity with democrats outside the continent. The events in Luanda and Benguela have shown how ‘authoritarian democracies’ systematically abuse their structures to retain power at the expense of their people while pretending to maintain democratic niceties.
The fight for democracy, openness and accountability is stronger than ever. Those resisting change are an impediment to the future of Africa and an embarrassment to democrats everywhere. But this calls for renewed energy, action and unity by democrats. There is no greater solidarity than the one that is built under pressure.
The struggle for democracy in Angola is the struggle for democracy elsewhere in Africa and everywhere.
14 March 2025
For Press Queries Contact:
Henry Sands, SABI Strategy, henry.sands@sabistrategy.com
Issued by:
Abel Chivukuvuku (Hon), PRAJA-Servir Angola, Angola
Adalberto Costa Júnior (Hon), President: National Union for the Total Independence of Angola, Angola
Adriano Sapinãla (Mr), Luanda Provincial Secretary: UNITA, Angola
Akossi Noël Bendjo (Mr), Co-ordinator General of Democratic Party, Ivory Coast
Albertina Navita Ngolo (Ms), Deputy Chair: UNITA Parliamentary Group, Angola
Alberto Ruiz Thiery (Mr), Coordinator for Africa, Centrist Democratic International, Spain
Alvaro Daniel (Mr), Secretary General: UNITA, Angola
Andrés Pastrana Arango (HE), Former President, Colombia
Arlete Chimbinda (Ms), Vice-President: UNITA, Angola
Assefa Hagos (Mr), Senior Advisor to President: Regional Administration of Tigray, Ethiopia
Atupele Muluzi (Hon), President: United Democratic Front, Malawi
Avelino Kanjamba (Mr), Benguela Provincial Secretary: UNITA, Angola
Bonefacio Milhão (Mr), Youth Deputy Secretary General: UNITA, Angola
Carine Kanimba (Ms), Spokesperson: World Liberty Congress, Rwanda
Cesaltina Kulanda (Ms), UNITA Women’s League (LIMA), Angola
Chikhu Chanthunya (Hon) Member, NEC & Director of Legal Affairs, UDF, Malawi
Christine Auchamus (Hon), Independent Patriots for Change, Namibia
Cirino Hiteng (Dr), Head of External Affairs, REAL SPLM, South Sudan
David Sanders (Mr), US
Davide Chipasso (Mr), Chief of Protocol: UNITA, Angola
Diamantino Mussokola (Mr), Secretary: Presidency of UNITA, Angola
Dorothy Semu (Hon), Leader: ACT Wazalendo, Tanzania
Edwin Sifuna (Hon), Senator, Kenya
Emily Osborne (Ms), Senior Associate, SABI Strategy Group, UK
Emma Powell (Ms), MP: Democratic Alliance, SA
Evaldo Evangelista (Mr), National Secretary for Communication: UNITA, Angola
Filomeno Viera Lopes (Hon), President: Democratic Bloc, Angola
Gladys Hlatywayo (Hon), Sec. for International Affairs: Citizens Coalition for Change, Zimbabwe
Greg Mills (Dr), Director, The Brenthurst Foundation, SA
Gregory Nemyria (Hon), MP and Deputy Chair: Foreign Affairs Committee, Ukraine
Hager Eissa (Ms), World Liberty Congress, South Sudan
Holger Dix (Dr), Germany
Ian Khama (HE), Former President of Botswana
Israel-Carbone Beni (Mr), Director: Iconia Institute, Democratic Republic of Congo
John Gai Yoh (Dr), Former Minister of Education, Science and Technology, South Sudan
John Githongo (Dr), Distinguished Fellow: Massachusetts Institute for Technology, Kenya
John Steenhuisen (Hon), Leader: Democratic Alliance, South Africa
Jonas Mulato (Mr), Youth Foreign Affairs Secretary: UNITA, Angola
Kate Almquist Knopf (Ms), Former Director: Africa Center for Strategic Studies, United States
Leopoldo López (Mr), Co-founder: World Liberty Congress, Venezuela
Liberty Chiaka (Mr), President: UNITA Parliamentary Group, Angola
Lukamba Paulo (Mr), Councilor: President of UNITA, Angola
Lutero Simango (Hon), President: Democratic Movement of Mozambique, Mozambique
Mangaqa Albert Mncwango (Hon), Deputy Secretary General, Inkatha Freedom Party, SA
Manuel de Araujo (Hon), Mayor, Quelimane, Mozambique
Mark Burke (Dr), Democratic Alliance, South Africa
Merera Gudina (Prof), Chairman: Oromo Federalist Congress, Ethiopia
Michael Antoine (Hon), Member: National Executive Committee, UDF, Malawi
Moeketsi Majoro (HE), Former Prime Minister of Lesotho
Nahusenay Gebremedhin (Mr), Special Advisor to the Vice President: Tigray, Ethiopia
Nasra Nassor Omar (Dr), Deputy Secretary for Foreign Affairs: ACT Wazalendo, Tanzania
Olfa Hamdi (Ms), Leader: Third Republic Party, Tunisia
Omer Ismail (Hon), Former Acting Foreign Minister, Sudan
Othman Masoud Othman Sharif (HE), First Vice President, Zanzibar
Pa’gan Amum Okiech (Dr), Leader: Real SPLM; Chair: United People’s Alliance, South Sudan
Paldinha Helena Mulato (Ms), UNITA, Angola
Paula Cristina Roque (Dr), Executive Director: Intelwatch, Portugal
Pavu Abdallah (Ms), Human Rights and Legislative Bodies: ACT Wazalendo, Tanzania
Rafael Massanga Savimbi (Mr), International Relations Secretary: UNITA, Angola
Ray Hartley (Mr), Research and Communications Director, The Brenthurst Foundation, SA
Richard Morrow (Mr), Analyst, The Brenthurst Foundation, SA
Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu (‘Bobi Wine’) (Mr), Leader: National Unity Platform, Uganda
Robert Thomson (Maj.Gen. rtd), Chief Executive: AGL Communication, UK
Ryan Smith (Mr), MP: Democratic Alliance, SA
Salomão Dondo (Mr), National Secretary for Political Education: UNITA, Angola
Souleymane Coulibaly (Dr), Côte d'Ivoire
Tanele Maseko (Mrs), Thulani Maseko Foundation, Eswatini
Tendai Biti (Hon), Former Minister of Finance, Zimbabwe
Tiago Chingui (Mr), Director: Study and Search Office of UNITA, Angola
Trevino Forbes (Hon), Vice President: Independent Patriots for Change, Namibia
Tundu Lissu (Hon), Chairman: CHADEMA, Tanzania
Tut Jikany (Amb), Former Ambassador to the US; SPLM-IO Reformists, South Sudan
Venancio Mondlane (Mr), Presidential Candidate, Mozambique
VF Hlabisa (Hon), Leader: Inkatha Freedom Party, South Africa
William Leslie Amanzuru (Mr), Team Leader: Friends of Zoka, Uganda
Zitto Kabwe (Mr), ACT Wazalendo, Tanzania
