Angola’s Former President Dos Santos Dies at 79

Angola's former President José Eduardo dos Santos passed away aged 79, the Angolan presidency announced on Friday.

Dos Santos, who ruled Africa's second-biggest oil producer for nearly four decades, died at 11.10 am Spanish time at the Barcelona Teknon clinic following a prolonged illness, according to the presidency's statement.

The announcement said dos Santos was “a statesman of great historical scale who governed ... the Angolan nation through very difficult times.”

A spokesperson for the clinic declined to comment. Dos Santos, who ruled Angola for almost 40 years from 1979, had been receiving medical treatment since 2019.

Meanwhile, the state's current head of state, João Lourenço, announced five days of national mourning starting on Friday, when the country’s flag will fly at half-staff and public events will be cancelled.

The former president, one of Africa’s longest-serving leaders, stepped down five years ago. His era was marked by a brutal civil war lasting nearly three decades against the US-backed Unita rebels – which he won in 2002 – and a subsequent oil-fuelled boom.