Angolan gangs targeting Chinese migrant workers?

China's embassy in Angola has, this month, issued a broad security bulletin to Chinese nationals living and/or working in the country, warning to be increasingly vigilant suspicious activity, and not to travel alone after dark.

The bulletin comes in response to an increasing number of attacks on Chinese citizens and businesses that have injured many Chinese, and which have left several dead.


Organized Crime?

According to local business leaders the attacks are the work of criminal gangs who are specifically targeting Chinese workers and businesses in highly organized manner. First using scouts and/or local knowledge to pick out a target, and then sending in armed foot soldiers to take cash and equipment.

One of the most serious cases cited by business leaders is the murder of businessperson Xu Tonggou. Xu was confronted by an armed gang on September 4. When Xu refused to hand over money to the gang they shot Xu 3 times. Xu later died in hospital.

Another serious case cited by leaders was a raid on the Jiangsu International Company that was carried out on the same day as Xu's murder. 6 gang members forced their way onto a JIC construction site office. They beat staff with clubs and threatened them with assault rifles before stealing money and computer equipment.

There have also been similar attacks Chinese dormitories and other locations where Chinese live and/or congregate. As well as on individual Chinese.

Increasing Problem?

According to Xu Ning, the head of the Chinese Business Council in Luanda, the rate of crime against Chinese is increasing at an alarming rate and are becoming increasingly violent. So much so that some Chinese have begun to leave the region.


Official Scepticism?

Despite representations from Chinese business and community leaders local authorities remain sceptical. Although they freely admit that Chinese citizens have been attacked, and that a number of Chinese businesses have been robed, they deny that there is a serious problem, that it is gang related, or that it is specific to the Chinese community.

According to local authorities Chinese citizens are most likely falling victim to 'genetic crime'. Crime that effects them because they are present in a high crime country such as Angola, rather than specifically because they are Chinese.


View From Outside?

At present there is little reliable information available to analysts to determine the scale and scope of the problem faced by Chinese in Angola, particularly as it is likely that many crimes against Chinese are going unreported if the victims are working in Angola illegally, or if they are afraid of reporting the crime for reasons of face, or fear of reprisal.

The available evidence does suggest that the number of crimes committed against Chinese is growing, and that this growth appears to be in organized attacks – such as the gang raid on JIC's site office – as well as random street attacks by opportunists.

However, said evidence is insufficient to determine where the growing number of attacks on Chinese citizens and businesses is due to the fact that they Chinese – for example, local people forming into gangs and targeting Chinese because they are angry at the influx of Chinese workers -  or because Chinese are more profitable to attack - for example, because Chinese they are more likely to carry cell phones and quantities of cash than local people, or because Chinese businesses more likely to have new equipment on site than local businesses.

China watchers note that Angola has pandemic levels of violence and violent crime. Greater so than even Western countries. And that despite the increase in crime involving Chinese citizens it is the local who people remain the main victim of crime.

Angola has also long been considered a dangerous country for non indigenous people. With visitors being targeted due to their propensity to carry money and valuable items such as watches and cell phones, and because of their easy of targeting. The situation is so bad that visitors to the country are commonly advised to travel in packs, particularly after dark, and not to trust the local taxies. Visitors are also frequently warned that certain areas of the capital Luanda – where the bulk of the Chinese population is located -  such as Roque Santeiro, Roche Pinto and Serpentine,  have been placed on embassy warning lists as being off limits due to crime levels.

There are an estimated 100,000 Chinese in Angola at present. Most of whom work in the construction industry. In general Chinese are not used to violent crime. Although it exists in China public perception often greatly exceeds the actual threat. Which is many times less than is found in countries such as America and Britain, where murder, rape and assault levels have reached pandemic proportions. This leaves most Chinese unprepared for crime rates in countries like Angola.

Chinese are also sometimes lulled into a false sense of security when overseas. Believing that because China is a developing country with no history of colonialism or state interference in regions such as Africa that the local people will see them as comrades and will leave them alone in favor of targeting whites who have more money and whose countries have a long running history of imperialism and colonialism. Thus making them easy and unsuspecting targets for violent criminals.

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