Squatting in Angola occurs when displaced peoples occupy

informal settlements Informal housing or informal settlement can include any form of housing, shelter, or settlement (or lack thereof) which is illegal, falls outside of government control or regulation, or is not afforded protection by the state. As such, the info ...

in coastal cities such as the capital

Luanda Luanda ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Angola, largest city of Angola. It is Angola's primary port, and its major industrial, cultural and urban centre. Located on Angola's northern Atlantic coast, Luanda is Ang ...

. The

Government of Angola The Cabinet of Angola is the chief executive body of the Republic of Angola. References External links governo.gov.ao (in Portuguese) {{Authority control Cabinet Angolan ministers Ministers Angola Angola, officially the ...

has been criticized by human rights groups for forcibly evicting

squatters Squatting is the action of occupying an abandoned or unoccupied area of land or a building (usually residential) that the squatter does not own, rent or otherwise have lawful permission to use. The United Nations estimated in 2003 that there wer ...

and not resettling them.

History

Between 1575 and 1975, Angolan territory was partially colonised as

Portuguese Angola In southwestern Africa, Portuguese Angola was a historical Evolution of the Portuguese Empire, colony of the Portuguese Empire (1575–1951), the overseas province Portuguese West Africa of Estado Novo (Portugal), Estado Novo Portugal (1951–1 ...

. In the late 18th-century and early 19-century, escaped slaves joined with bandits to attack the Portuguese. There was also resistance from indigenous peoples such as the Herero and the Nyaneka. The latter squatted ancestral lands after being displaced from them.

Angola Angola, officially the Republic of Angola, is a country on the west-Central Africa, central coast of Southern Africa. It is the second-largest Portuguese-speaking world, Portuguese-speaking (Lusophone) country in both total area and List of c ...

became independent in 1975, then the

Angolan Civil War The Angolan Civil War () was a civil war in Angola, beginning in 1975 and continuing, with interludes, until 2002. The war began immediately after Angola became independent from Portugal in November 1975. It was a power struggle between two for ...

began, lasting until 2002 and displacing an estimated 4 million people. In 1975, the capital

had 0.5 million inhabitants and by 2011 its population was 10 million of which 7 million lived in

slums A slum is a highly populated urban residential area consisting of densely packed housing units of weak build quality and often associated with poverty. The infrastructure in slums is often deteriorated or incomplete, and they are primarily in ...

scattered across the city. In these

squatted Squatting is the action of occupying an abandoned or unoccupied area of land or a building (usually residential) that the squatter does not own, rent or otherwise have lawful permission to use. The United Nations estimated in 2003 that there wer ...

known as musseques, 55 per cent have electricity and 12.4 per cent have running water. War accelerated the process of urbanization since Luanda and other coastal cities were perceived to be safer places than the interior. The first slums dated back to the colonial era and since then more have been founded. Since 2002, a city-wide gentrification process in Luanda has led to evictions for shopping centres and luxury homes. In 2007,

Amnesty International Amnesty International (also referred to as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization focused on human rights, with its headquarters in the United Kingdom. The organization says that it has more than ten million members a ...

and

Christian Aid Christian Aid is a relief and development charity of 41 Christian (Protestant and Orthodox) churches in Great Britain and Ireland, and works to support sustainable development, eradicate poverty, support civil society and provide disaster rel ...

criticised the

government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a State (polity), state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive (government), execu ...

for forcibly evicting squatters and not resettling them. In one instance, the Catholic church had requested that 2,000 families be removed. As well as occupying land, people also squatted buildings left derelict after being damaged in the civil war.

Human Rights Watch Human Rights Watch (HRW) is an international non-governmental organization that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. Headquartered in New York City, the group investigates and reports on issues including War crime, war crimes, crim ...

recorded an eviction of at least 5,000 people in 2013 from a

shanty town A shanty town, squatter area, squatter settlement, or squatter camp is a settlement of improvised buildings known as shanties or shacks, typically made of materials such as mud and wood, or from cheap building materials such as corrugated iron s ...

in Maiombe, Luanda.

References

{{Authority control

Society of Angola