On Monday and Tuesday sporadic gunfire was heard across the city. “We have received many protesters with serious injuries, including multiple traumas. Sadly, some have died. We fear the death toll may be higher than the official figures suggest,” one doctor said. Homem issued his statement after a cabinet meeting chaired by President João Lourenço on Wednesday. “In the past two days, we have witnessed actions that amount to acts of vandalism and endanger public security in the provinces of Luanda, Huambo, Benguela and Huíla. However, we want to inform citizens that the overall public security situation in the country remains stable,” the minister said. Many buildings had been looted or destroyed across the country, including supermarkets, shops and banks, he added. Ambulances, buses and private vehicles have also been damaged during the unrest. “The acts carried out by the protesters, worsened by the presence of infiltrators with criminal intentions, show that the phenomenon has gone beyond a mere demand and now represents a threat to public order,” the presidency said in a post on Facebook on Wednesday. Earlier President Lourenço had downplayed concerns over the decision to raise the price of diesel by more than 33%. It was introduced in early July as part of plans to remove fuel subsidies in the oil-rich nation. He told CNN Portugal the protesters were using petrol prices as a pretext to undermine the government.