At the opening of a cabinet meeting on Wednesday, Mr Lourenço said the protest was a "political pretext" to "create anger" among Angolans ahead of general elections in August.

“What happened on Monday was a true act of terror,” he said.

The taxi drivers protested to demand better roads and the easing of Covid restrictions which limit the number of passengers they can carry.

The police accused them of setting fire to a bus, and vandalising a building belonging to the ruling MPLA party.

At least 30 people were arrested, police said.

The main opposition Unita party condemned the violence.

Edmilson Ângelo, from the Institute of Development Studies, told the BBC that the protest could be "a sign of what we can expect" ahead of the elections.

Mr Lourenço said the protests were part of an “ungovernability plan", but he wanted to give an assurance that the elections would take place in a safe environment.

Mr Lourenço is due to run for a second term under the banner of the MPLA - a party that has been in power since independence in 1975.