President Yoweri Museveni has joined the tributes to former President of Angola, Jose Eduardo Dos Santos who died on Friday in a hospital in Spain where he was hospitalized for weeks.
Museveni in a tweet on Saturday described Jose Eduardo as a true statesman and visionary.
“With deep sadness, I have learnt of the demise of H.E José Eduardo dos Santos, former President of the Republic of Angola. I wish to convey our deepest and heartfelt condolences to H.E Joao Lourenco, the Santos family and the people of Angola upon this loss,” Museveni wrote.
“The legacy left by President Dos Santos will live on long after he is gone and stand out for posterity. He was indeed a true statesman and visionary and shall remain a defining figure in the history of our times. May his soul rest in eternal peace,” he added.
Meanwhile, Angola has declared seven days of national mourning following Eduardo dos Santos’ death.
President João Lourenço made the announcement on Friday, describing dos Santos’ death as a big loss to the country.
“What I have to say is that Angola has just lost a great son, someone who dedicated his entire youth, his entire life, for the good of Angola and the Angolans,” President Lourenço said.
According to a presidential decree, the national mourning begins at midnight on July 9, 2022.
State funeral
President Lourenço said the former leader will be given a state funeral adding that allegations of preventing his predecessor´s daughters from entering the country were baseless.
There had been claims on social media Friday that the Angolan government would not allow Isabel and Welwitschia dos Santos’ return.
“Our focus at this time is on the organisation of the funeral ceremonies and, in principle, no authority in the country has the power to prevent an Angolan citizen who is living abroad from returning to his own country, no matter what the circumstances”.
“If we take into account the current circumstances, for the most part, we do not see why the family, which is abroad, should not be able to accompany their loved one,” President Lourenço said.
The President announced that a commission would organise his predecessor’s funeral.
According to lawyers of Welwitschia, she requested that her father’s body remains at the Teknon Medical Centre in Barcelona, Spain for an autopsy, fearing that the body would be transferred to Angola.