UNITA, the main Angolan opposition party, maintains that it should be the family of José Eduardo dos Santos, former Angolan president, who died on Friday in Barcelona, who decides when and where the funeral will take place.
Funeral rites of José Eduardo dos Santos are being negotiated between the family and the Angolan governmentwith differences in the clan, with some of his sons opposing the immediate delivery of the body to Luanda.
The Angolan government declared that it intends to hold a state funeral, but the decision was not well received by the eldest daughters, particularly Tchizé dos Santos.
Tchizé dos Santos says that this was not his father’s will and that José Eduardo dos Santos He did not want to be buried in Angola while João Lourenço, the current president, who is running for a new term in the general elections scheduled for August 24, is in power.
In a political statement released this Monday, UNITA and the Patriotic Forces for Alternation (a platform known as the United Patriotic Front) renew their condolences and are in favor of a “dignified funeral”, in which the family will choose the time and place. . for its realization “according to the African tradition of Angola, by which the dead must be honored and respected and comfort the mourning of their relatives”
UNITA, in particular its founder, Jonas Savimbi, was the main opponent of José Eduardo dos Santos during the 38 years he ruled the country, waging a long war against government MPLA forces, which only ended with Savimbi’s death in 2002.
UNITA points out in its statement that the death of José Eduardo dos Santos occurs 38 days before the elections, condemning “all the intimidating speeches and repressive actions for being contrary to the climate of harmony, tranquility, freedom, civility and citizenship that should characterize this moment”.
It also trusts in the victory of the forces of alternation, appealing to all militants, sympathizers and friends “to be vigilant and not commit acts of alteration of public order”, without renouncing their constitutional rights.
Eduardo dos Santos, who died in the Barcelona clinic where he was hospitalized for several days, succeeded Agostinho Neto as president of Angola in 1979 and left office in 2017, serving one of the longest presidencies in the world, marked by accusations of corruption and nepotism.
In 2017, he resigned as a candidate and was succeeded in office by the current President, João Lourenço, also elected by the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA), which has governed the country since independence, in relation to Portugal, in 1975.
Source: Observadora
