Angola: Operation 'Arrasto 26' Arrests 554 Angolan and Foreign Nationals in Luvo

25 August 2026
Angola Press Agency (Luanda)

Mbanza Kongo — at least 554 citizens, including nationals and foreigners, have been arrested in recent days by the Border Guard Police in the border municipality of Luvo, in Zaire Province, as part of Operation 'Arrasto 26'.

According to the commander of the 3rd Border Guard Police Unit in Mbanza Kongo, Deputy Commissioner Agostinho Muanzunga, who spoke to the press on Monday during the presentation of the results of the operation - which took place from the 21st to the 24th of this month - of the total number of those detained, 500 are citizens of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) in an irregular migration situation and 54 are nationals accused of various crimes.

According to the official, during the period in question, the Border Guard Police in Luvo recorded 166 various offences, of which 152 were border violations, nine were tax evasion, two were environmental offences and one was the export of petroleum products.

During the micro-operation, he said, 23 motorbikes were seized which were being used to transport goods and people to the neighbouring Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) via clandestine routes.

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Five washing machines were also seized and considerable quantities of kitchen utensils, orthopedic mattresses, four bags of flip-flops, machetes, hoes, and 45 trunks.

The commander reiterated that actions of this type will continue along the Luvo border with the Central Congo region (DRC) to discourage illegal immigration in the region.

Regarding the detained immigrants, Agostinho Muanzunga said that they were referred to the Migration and Foreigners Service (SME) in the region for the necessary procedures, while the nationals allegedly involved in fuel smuggling were handed over to the competent authorities.

As for the merchandise, the commander stressed that it was deposited with the General Tax Administration (AGT) in the village of Luvo for proper handling.

The border municipality of Luvo is located 60 kilometers north of the city of Mbanza Kongo, the capital of Zaire province. JL/DAN/DOJ

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