| Friends of Angola (FOA)
Luanda, November 26, 2025
Friends of Angola hereby vehemently expresses its repudiation of the obstruction of the travel of seven young Angolans on November 22, 2025, at 4 de Fevereiro Airport (Luanda). The group was traveling to the city of Praia, Cape Verde, with a technical stopover in Lisbon, as part of a program promoted by FOA.
1. Context
The delegation, composed of seven young Angolan activists, was prevented from boarding the TAP Air Portugal flight at 4 de Fevereiro Airport, even though they were merely in transit to Cape Verde via Lisbon.
No plausible or legally grounded explanation was provided to the young people to justify the boarding restriction.
The requirements communicated to them do not appear to have any formal basis, raising serious concerns about respect for the rights to free movement and civic participation.
2. The Motive and the Impact
FOA believes that this obstacle did not arise from a simple logistical or administrative issue, but rather from interference that directly undermines the freedom of movement, the right to participation, and the development of young Angolans engaged in democratic exchange programs.
The impediment caused not only immediate harm — the inability to carry out the planned exchange program — but also reputational, emotional, and institutional damage to FOA, to the young people involved, and to the families who placed their hopes in this initiative.
This incident also raises broader questions about the democratic environment in Angola and the respect for principles of transparency, equal opportunity, and freedom of action.
3. Call for Accountability
FOA demands immediate and public clarification from all entities involved — both TAP and the Angolan or transit authorities — regarding the specific motivations that led to the boarding blockage.
FOA further demands that events of this nature — designed to promote democracy, youth participation, and exchange among Lusophone countries — be allowed to take place without arbitrary impediments or discrimination.
The organization calls on cooperation bodies between Angola and Portugal, as well as human rights organizations and the press, to follow the case and ensure that conduct restricting the right to travel, learn, and participate in democratic processes is not repeated.
4. Consequences and Future Measures
Friands of Angola announces that it reserves the right to pursue all legal and institutional avenues to hold accountable those responsible — directly or indirectly — for the harm caused to the participants and to the organization.
FOA reaffirms its commitment to Angolan youth, to women, and to the strengthening of local governance, democratic practices, and citizenship values across Angola and Lusophone societies.
The organization reiterates that it will not allow opportunities for training, exchange, and growth to be obstructed by institutional silence or actions that contradict the spirit of democratic values and freedom that should unite Angola, Portugal, and Lusophone nations.
It is essential that democratic countries, such as Portugal, do not become complicit in restrictive practices promoted by authoritarian regimes. The proliferation of authoritarian systems in Africa and around the world continues to be fueled, in part, by the tolerance and complacency of certain democracies that prioritize short-term economic interests over the democratic values that have historically ensured peace and prosperity.
Florindo Chivucute
Executive Director
Friends of Angola |
