| Welcome to Next Africa, a twice-weekly newsletter on where the continent stands now — and where it’s headed. Sign up here to have it delivered to your email. Protests triggered by fuel-subsidy cuts in Angola elicited a heavy handed response from the authorities, ratcheting up political temperatures in one of Africa’s top oil producers. At least 30 people died in clashes between the police and the demonstrators. Another 200 were injured and more than 1,200 detained. Unrest has also erupted in recent months in Kenya and Mozambique, where citizens are grappling with surging living costs.  Riot police face off with protesters in Luanda on July 26. Photographer: Julio Pacheo Ntela/Getty Images Angola’s security forces reportedly used tear gas, rubber bullets and live ammunition to disperse the crowds and end widespread looting, prompting condemnation from Human Rights Watch and a call by the United Nations for an investigation. Soldiers were deployed to protect key buildings in the capital, Luanda, and calm has been restored, yet rumors that a strike is imminent continue to swirl. The National Association of Taxi Drivers of Angola denied it’s planning further protests. There are no easy answers for the government. Fuel subsidies cost it some $3 billion last year — roughly equivalent to what it spent on health and education, according to the International Monetary Fund. The phasing down of the support, which caused the price of diesel to jump by a third, is part of a government effort to trim spending and has been welcomed by Angola’s international creditors. While fuel prices in the southern African nation remain among the world’s lowest, cash-strapped consumers have nonetheless been hard hit by the surge in transport costs. President João Lourenço, a former army general, blamed the protests on irresponsible provocateurs spreading disinformation. Analysts warn his seeming indifference to the real problems facing the country could backfire on the MPLA party, which has held power since independence from Portugal in 1975 and is facing a general election in two years. “A greater use of force won’t stop future protests,” said David Boio, a sociology professor in the central city of Huambo. “These young people have nothing to lose.” — Henrique Almeida Key stories and opinion:
Angolan President Consults Advisers Amid Threat of New Protests
Angolan Government to Compensate Firms Hit by Deadly Unrest
Death Toll From Angola Fuel Protests Climbs, Interior Minister Says
Angola Quitting OPEC Is More Critical Than It Seems: Javier Blas
Why Gasoline Prices Can Stay Up When Oil Goes Down: QuickTake South Africa’s second-biggest party reiterated its intention to remain within the fractious governing coalition, saying most of its members backed its participation. The Democratic Alliance has clashed repeatedly with the larger African National Congress since they teamed up 13 months ago. They are currently at odds over the ANC’s plans to expand the 10-member administration, a move that could sideline the DA. Its leader, John Steenhuisen, downplayed the differences in an interview, saying they were to be expected in coalition politics.  John Steenhuisen. Photographer: Leon Sadiki/Bloomberg Barrick Mining posted a net charge of $1.04 billion related to the seizure of its gold complex in Mali by the West African nation’s junta. The loss was due to “the deconsolidation of Loulo-Gounkoto following the change of control,” the Canadian company said. A Malian court handed over management of one of Barrick’s biggest operations to a state-appointed accountant and a former health minister for six months in June. Kenya plans to raise as much as $4 billion by utilizing an import levy to fund the extension of a China-built railway and is in talks with Etihad Rail to run freight operations on the line. The East African nation will use its railway development levy to fund connections to Kisumu in the southwest and Malaba on the Ugandan border. The Treasury collects about $387 million a year by levying 2% tariffs on Kenya’s imports.  A station in Voi in southern Kenya. Photographer: Tony Karumba/AFP/Getty Images Ethiopia appointed the African Development Bank to lead efforts to raise as much as $8 billion for the construction of what would be Africa’s biggest airport. The project will quadruple the country’s aviation capacity and double tourist inflows within a decade, according to Finance Minister Ahmed Shide. The facility, to be built south of Addis Ababa, is expected to cost $10 billion. Workers at Russia’s United Co. Rusal refinery in Guinea blocked a railway to stop alumina shipments from the West African nation as they began a strike to demand better working conditions. The plant located at Fria, north of the capital Conakry, continues to operate as normal, Deputy Managing Director David Camara said. The refinery was shut down by a strike in 2012 and only reopened six years later.  Aluminum foil rolls at the Sayanal mill operated by United Co. Rusal in Sayanogorsk, Russia. Photographer: Andrey Rudakov/Bloomberg Mahindra & Mahindra is boosting capacity at its South African plant by two-thirds as India’s largest automaker by value seeks to capitalize on demand for lower-cost vehicles in the continent’s biggest economy. The company, which makes the Mahindra Pik-Up brand near Durban, will lift production to 1,500 vehicles a month. It is also considering assembling other models locally. Thank you for your responses to our weekly Next Africa Quiz and congratulations to Altan Ari, who was first to identify Lesotho as the only African nation that is fully encircled by another and was spared Trump’s highest reciprocal tariff rate last week. Nigerians weary of searing food inflation are finally getting a break after the price of corn fell sharply. Increased harvests and the suspension of import duties have driven down the local cost of the grain, said Ayodeji Balogun, CEO of Lagos-based commodities’ tracker AFEX. Prices had previously been driven up by insecurity in northern Nigeria and widespread flooding. Thanks for reading. We’ll be back in your inbox with the next edition on Friday. Send any feedback to mcohen21@bloomberg.net | 
