José Eduardo dos Santos (1942–2022), former president of Angola
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2 min readJosé Eduardo dos Santos was the former longtime president of the African nation of Angola, having served from 1979 to 2017.
- Died: July 8, 2022 (Who else died on July 8?)
- Details of death: Died at a hospital in Barcelona after a long illness at the age of 79.
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Political career
In his younger days, Dos Santos was involved in Angola’s fight for independence from Portugal, serving as a radio transmitter in the People’s Armed Forces for the Liberation of Angola. After the country’s 1975 liberation, he became Angola’s first Minister of Foreign Affairs. When the country’s founding president, Agostino Neto, died in 1979, dos Santos was elected president, a role he would hold for decades.
One of Africa’s longest-serving leaders, Dos Santos was known for his support of neighboring countries as they fought for independence from white majority rule, including Namibia and South Africa. Yet his time in office was also controversial, often called autocratic as he presided over an economic boom that benefited the country’s wealthy majority, including his own family, while leaving many others in poverty. He retired from the presidency in 2017.
Tributes to José Eduardo dos Santos
Full obituary: The New York Times
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