Jose Eduardo dos Santos, Angola’s ex-president Dos Santos dies aged 79, the former president presided over the continent’s second-largest oil producer for over four decades, his death was announced by the Angolan presidency on Facebook.
Following a protracted illness, the former president passed away at the Barcelona Teknon facility at 11:10 am Spanish time, according to the presidency.
He was receiving treatment at the Barcelona Teknon clinic, but a spokeswoman at the facility declined to comment. Dos Santos has been receiving medical care at the facility since 2019.
The former president was reportedly hospitalized to an intensive care unit at a hospital in Barcelona last month, according to Portuguese news agency Lusa.
Dos Santos, one of Africa’s longest-serving presidents, retired five years ago. His administration was characterized by an oil-fueled prosperity that followed a devastating civil war he won in 2002 over U.S.-backed UNITA rebels that lasted nearly three decades.
President Joao Lourenco, who is a member of the People’s Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA), succeeded him in 2017. He immediately began an investigation into claims of massive corruption under the dos Santos administration, specifically focusing on the previous president’s children.
