By: Joana Almeida
President Adalberto Costa Júnior conducts solidarity visit in Benguela Province, triggering wave of pressure on the State
During the floods that affected Benguela Province in April 2026, the conduct of UNITA (National Union for the Total Independence of Angola) and its president, Adalberto Costa Júnior (ACJ), was mainly characterized by acts of political solidarity, on-site presence, and strong public pressure on government authorities.
However, contrary to what many people expected, no official specific monetary amount was publicly announced as being donated by the political party to the flood victims.
Based on available public information, there is still no record of an exact financial figure or amount attributed to UNITA as a political party for direct support to the victims of the floods in Benguela.
This suggests that, although solidarity actions and assistance initiatives may have taken place, no formal monetary contribution was publicly disclosed in dollars, euros, rand, or any other currency.
Technically, UNITA’s approach was more focused on political and institutional actions rather than large-scale direct financial donations, although it is worth noting that any assistance provided may have been both direct and indirect, and not necessarily publicly detailed. This is relatively common among political parties during disaster situations, where their main role often involves mobilization, oversight, and pressure on the state, while financial execution tends to be handled by the government, humanitarian organizations, and international entities.
Main objective of UNITA during the crisis
UNITA’s position in response to the tragedy in Benguela Province can be understood through three main pillars:
solidarity with victims, criticism of structural failures, and pressure for urgent government responses.
Solidarity and on-site presence
UNITA president Adalberto Costa Júnior (ACJ) traveled to Benguela Province to personally witness the impact of the floods.
This visit had a strong symbolic and political character, demonstrating closeness to the affected populations.
While moving through the affected areas, the opposition leader met with displaced families, learned about reports of human and material losses, and assessed the conditions of shelters and reception centers.
This presence was widely publicized and interpreted as an attempt to demonstrate empathy and social responsibility in the face of the disaster.
The on-site engagement also helped reinforce UNITA’s image as a political force attentive to the difficulties faced by society, especially during humanitarian crises.
Criticism of structural causes of the floods
Another key aspect of UNITA’s response was criticism of the underlying causes that, according to the party, contributed to the severity of the tragedy.
UNITA president Adalberto Costa Júnior (ACJ) pointed to difficulties in maintaining and supervising hydraulic infrastructure, particularly the Cavaco River containment system, which overflowed after heavy rainfall.
From this perspective, the floods were not only the result of intense weather phenomena, but also linked to long-standing failures, including:
Lack of regular maintenance of dikes and drainage channels;
Uncontrolled urban growth in high-risk areas;
Insufficient stormwater drainage systems;
Weak urban planning and prevention mechanisms;
These criticisms framed the floods not only as a natural disaster, but also as a governance and infrastructure management failure.
Call for urgent state intervention
UNITA also increased political pressure on the Angolan government, calling for immediate and effective responses to assist victims.
The party advocated for rapid mobilization of civil protection services, improvement of reception centers, and direct assistance to displaced families.
President Adalberto Costa Júnior (ACJ) emphasized the urgency of measures such as restoring communication routes, providing food and medical support to affected populations, and developing preventive tools to avoid similar disasters in the future.
This position aligns with the traditional role of the opposition during crises: monitoring government activity and demanding greater efficiency in public response.
Conduct of the UNITA president
The attitude and approach of UNITA president Adalberto Costa Júnior during the crisis was characterized by proximity, strategic criticism, and political activism.
Based on his public image, he conveyed three main messages:
Empathy with victims:
Physical presence in affected areas and direct contact with populations aimed to demonstrate solidarity and human sensitivity toward families in distress.
Institutional accountability:
By highlighting maintenance and planning failures, he reinforced the idea that such disasters should not be seen solely as natural events, but also as consequences of political and administrative decisions.
Demand for immediate action:
The insistence on rapid government solutions reflected a clear political stance aimed at accelerating assistance to victims.
Nevertheless, the party’s actions also generated political debate, with some analysts interpreting the opposition’s presence as a form of political capitalization of the disaster, while others emphasized the importance of democratic oversight during crisis situations.
In summary, during the floods in Benguela, UNITA did not publicly disclose any specific financial donation to victims, but instead played an active political and social role.
Its focus was on solidarity with affected populations, criticism of structural failures in the drainage system, and pressure for more effective government action.
UNITA leader Adalberto Costa Júnior maintained an approach centered on proximity to victims, highlighting structural causes of the problem, and demanding urgent assistance and preventive measures.