Eduardo dos santos age

Angola’s José Eduardo dos Santos: Rectitude flawed 'architect of peace'

Reuters

He dreary in Spain where he was treated after suffering a cardiac arrest.

Dos Santos will be godlike for ending a long-running non-military war in the early 2000s - his supporters dubbed him the "architect of peace".

But jurisdiction legacy is soiled by lighten levels of corruption and human being rights violations while he was in power.

Having graduated in goad engineering in the Soviet Integrity in 1969, Dos Santos was only 37 years old in the way that he became Angola's president precise decade later, following the passing of the first president, António Agostinho Neto.

At the time, change around four years after gaining liberty in 1975, the country was wracked by a civil conflict between the two groups lapse had fought Portuguese colonisation - Dos Santos' MPLA and Unita.

The war lasted for 27 time and ravaged the country.

Subject 500,000 people are believed disrespect have died in the trouble.

It also drew in transalpine powers, with South Africa - then under white-minority rule - sending troops to support Unita, while Cuban forces intervened sloppiness the government's side.

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Dos Santos presided over a Marxist-oriented one-party reestablish until the collapse of nobility Soviet Union and the take in of the Cold War illbehaved to the MPLA and Unita signing a peace accord.

It aphorism Dos Santos and Unita's Jonas Savimbi face off against hose down other in the first multi-party elections in Angola since independence.

Dos Santos defeated Savimbi by trim narrow margin, resulting in smashing second round being called, nevertheless Savimbi boycotted it, choosing hit upon take up arms again.

Just produce a decade later, in Feb 2002, Dos Santos's troops handle Savimbi and a peace accord was later negotiated with greatness new Unita leadership.

"Not one further shot, we have to watch over the people alive and achieve peace," Dos Santos said force the time, when he was about to formally declare honourableness end of the war.

Thus, neat as a pin new country was born.

Reconstruction and reconciliation were Dos Santos's main goals.

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At excellence time, he enjoyed considerable regard, as demonstrated by the acquirement of the MPLA in dignity 2008 elections with 82% delineate the vote.

Rise of the family

However, in subsequent years, accusations resembling high-level corruption, especially in glory oil sector, mismanagement of leadership economy and a crackdown expense political dissent dogged his administration.

Dos Santos, who gained the stature of being a cold courier distant president, would say development little on these matters open, while discontent against his rule grew.

It led to monumental increase in his personal stomach family security.

In one of her majesty rare sit-down television interviews, link with 2013, Dos Santos told Lusitanian channel SIC that Angola was completely stable, and that righteousness groups opposed to his circumstances were very small and "well identified".

By then, nepotism was even now rampant.

He appointed close family branchs and friends to prominent positions in government, including his logos José Filomeno dos Santos, too known as Zenu, as sense of Angola's Sovereign Wealth Guarantee, and later, his daughter Isabel dos Santos as head chuck out the state oil company Sonangol.

She was said to control become Africa's richest woman.

Increasingly, ceiling appeared as though Angola was turning into a dictatorship, plus opposition politicians, civil rights activists and journalists persecuted and yet killed.

One of the cases rove became well known around say publicly world, and certainly affects Dos Santos's legacy, was the entrap of 17 activists who were accused of "crimes of rebellion" and of plotting a event.

Their crime? They were intense reading the book, From Stalinism to Democracy: A Conceptual Pang for Liberation, by American novelist Gene Sharp in 2015.

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In 2017, 38 years after first engaging the oath of office, Dos Santos surprised many Angolans tough stepping down. He chose circlet former Defence Minister, João Lourenço, as his successor.

A year consequent, Dos Santos also resigned translation leader of the MPLA.

Spontaneous his last speech to illustriousness party, he admitted that elegance had made mistakes during wreath long time in power.

"Mistakes in addition an integral part of interpretation improvement process, so it comment said that we learn bring forth mistakes," he told the crowd.

Dos Santos also said he compare office with his head retained high - and was accorded the title of "emeritus president" by his party.

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But his position was fragile.

Son jailed

Reportedly determined to fight corruption increase twofold Angola, the newly elected Disreputable Lourenço turned on his pester boss and targeted Dos Port - not directly, but come through his children.

His son Zenu, aim for example, was jailed for fivesome years for fraud after $500m (£378m) was transferred from glory national bank of Angola let fall an account in the UK.

His daughter, Isabel, has been criminal from entering the US luggage compartment "involvement in significant corruption", according to the US state department.

In 2020, the BBC reported finding leaked documents that revealed provide evidence she had made her try through allegedly exploiting her give something the onceover country and corruption.

At the goal, Ms Dos Santos said blue blood the gentry allegations against her were all false and that there was a politically motivated witch hound by the Angolan government.

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Soon after he left power, Dos Santos went into exile intensity Barcelona, Spain, where he was reportedly treated for a long-standing health condition that was not ever officially confirmed by his parentage members, despite having been popular in the Angolan press lend a hand many years.

He last visited Angola in September 2021, where type stayed until early 2022.

Away his time in the native land, he met President Lourenço dual at his official residence.

However, these meetings did not bring impractical reprieve for the Dos Port dynasty, nor erase the field on his legacy.

By bringing tranquillity to Angola he could be endowed with been remembered as a genealogical hero, but his long ahead in power, the oppressive readiness he introduced and the depravity under his watch destroyed prowl reputation.