Angola: President Lourenço restructures SIC and faces military intelligence criticism

Angolan President João Lourenço has issued Presidential Decree No. 162/26, which modifies the organizational rules of the Criminal Investigation Service (SIC). A key component of this change is the revocation of the 2018 decree that established a specific Directorate for Combating Corruption Crimes. While the dedicated directorate will no longer exist in its previous form, legal experts note that the SIC retains its competence to investigate corruption and that the state's ability to investigate financial and fiscal crimes remains intact.

In a separate development, reports suggest that General João Pereira Massano, head of the Military Intelligence and Security Service (SISM), has criticized President Lourenço’s political leadership. Following a National Security Council meeting, Massano reportedly expressed disappointment regarding the administration's impact on national unity and cohesion. He allegedly described certain governance choices as “institutional disorder,” specifically raising concerns about the relationship between the courts and the MPLA and the resulting implications for the rule of law and institutional independence.