France, July 30 -- At least five people have been killed and more than 1,200 arrested in Luanda after a taxi strike over fuel prices turned violent. Shops were looted, cars were damaged and large parts of Angola's capital came to a standstill.

The unrest began on Monday when drivers of candongueiros - blue and white minibus taxis that carry nearly 90 percent of Luanda's commuters - launched a three-day strike.

They were protesting a government decision to raise the price of subsidised petrol from 300 to 400 kwanzas per litre (about €0.29 to €0.38) earlier in July.

By Tuesday evening, police spokesperson Mateus Rodrigues said 1,214 people had been arrested. He said shops, banks and cars had been vandalised, and warned that "...