“We cannot be burying Angolans because of water and land”: Angolan Catholic Official on Deadly Ethnic Clashes

“We must invest greatly in the culture of peace and work with these communities, because these conflicts are recurring,” he said.

The Angolan member of the Society of Jesus (SJ/Jesuits) reaffirmed the Catholic Church’s commitment to reconciliation, saying, “As soon as we heard the facts, we contacted some members of the Justice and Peace Commission … with the goal of traveling to the community and starting to build points of dialogue.”

Fr. Epalanga warned that interethnic conflicts in Angola may only get worse as natural resources dwindle. 

“This is only the beginning. Unfortunately, we will witness such episodes more frequently because resources are dwindling, and people will fight to gain access to them,” he cautioned.

Fr. António Jamba Candjongo, the Parish Priest of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Camucuio Parish of Namibe Diocese, gave assurance that the Church is ready to help restore peace, even as police and traditional leaders work to calm tensions.

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He said, “Thanks to the presence of traditional and police authorities, the situation is under control. Thank God, everything is moving toward calming tensions between the communities.”

Further providing details about the deadly clashes, he said, “This turmoil came from a group passing through the community in search of a better place for peace. That made people uneasy, but thanks to God, police authorities are now present in the municipality, and everything is in order, according to God’s will.”

Fr. Candjongo pointed to a contested water well as the epicenter of tensions. Saying, “There is a place where people water their livestock. The place has become a point of confusion because one tribe, when bringing their animals there, has used the opportunity to steal livestock belonging to the other tribe.”

Appealing for peace, he said, “The Church’s appeal is for reconciliation and dialogue … to restore harmony and tranquility, not only for the development of our municipality but above all to bring back the peace we so long for.”

Namibe Governor Archer Mangueira acknowledged the crisis’s complexity, linking it to “deeply complex roots, historical disputes over scarce resources.”

He announced an emergency plan to repair 43 colonial-era dams and expand the water supply in drought-hit communities. 

João Vissesse is an Angolan Journalist with a passion and rich experience in Catholic Church Communication and Media Apostolate.