Month: March 2026

Between Succession and Collapse: Angola at the End of Lourenço’s Rule

Before asking who will succeed João Lourenço, a more uncomfortable question looms: what kind of country will he leave behind at the end of his final term? The issue is not merely one of political succession, but of structural inheritance. Over a decade in power, what has taken shape is not a reformist project, but the deepening of a system built on revanchism, state capture, and misgovernance. As Angola approaches a decade under João Lourenço, it has not emerged as a stronger or more just state—it has grown more centralized, more opaque, and more exposed to the whims of unchecked presidential power. The case of General Higino Carneiro illustrates the pattern. Cleared by the Supreme Court of corruption charges, he re-emerged in the political arena—only to face new accusations as he positioned himself as a contender for the leadership of the MPLA. This sequence suggests not a consistent system of […]

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Angola: An Election That Doesn’t Decide

In Angola, where corruption and the capture of state institutions by political and economic elites remain persistent concerns, the independence of the justice system is a matter of national importance. The country is now about to hold an election for one of the most powerful positions in that system. Yet the vote will not determine who actually wins. On March 16, members of the Public Prosecutor’s Office will elect candidates for the position of Attorney General. But under Angola’s legal framework, the outcome of that election does not decide the appointment. Instead, the three most voted candidates will be submitted to President João Lourenço, who will select one of them to lead the country’s prosecutorial authority. In other words: prosecutors vote, but the president decides. The arrangement creates an institutional paradox — an election whose result does not determine the winner. In any electoral process, the principle is straightforward: the […]

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Constitutional Breach: Secretary of State Remains Director-General of IGCA

On 3 March 2026, four months after assuming office as Secretary of State, Conceição Cristóvão convened IGCA employees to a meeting scheduled for 6 March to discuss the institute’s internal functioning — signing the notice in his capacity as Director-General. Today, 6 March, he has presided over that meeting. Similarly, Adilson Freire, who serves as head of the IGCA Director’s Support Department, combines these duties with those of chief of staff to the Secretary of State for Urbanism and Housing. Symptomatically, Adilson Freire took office as chief of staff to the Secretary of State in a private ceremony, without this information being posted on the Ministry’s website. Since 30 October 2025, Conceição Luís Cristóvão has served as Secretary of State for Urbanism and Housing. Under the Angolan Constitution and the legal framework governing public administration, appointment to this office makes it incompatible for him to continue exercising the functions of Director-General […]

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How Angola’s Land Registry Undermines Property Rights

A technical opinion confirmed the ownership of a 9.86-hectare plot in Talatona, Luanda. Angola’s Cadastral Institute concealed that finding for eight months while communicating a different version to prosecutors. The case reveals how manipulation of land records is eroding property rights and driving a surge in land conflicts across Angola. A technical opinion confirmed the ownership of a 9.86-hectare plot of land in Talatona, Luanda. The leadership of Angola’s Geographical and Cadastral Institute (IGCA) withheld that information for eight months and communicated a different version to the Public Prosecutor’s Office. The case of Maria Africano da Silva exposes the risk of institutional capture within Angola’s cadastral system — and the legal insecurity surrounding property rights. The request forms part of a criminal proceeding for land usurpation (case no. 33.859/25-LDA) involving a dispute between Maria Africano da Silva and Orlando Veloso, former president of Sonangol Imobiliária e Propriedades (SONIP), the real […]

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