José Eduardo dos Santos is an Angolan politician and military officer who served as President of Angola from 1979 to 2017.
His long and controversial reign as Angola’s president lasted nearly four decades. During his time in power, he held a firm grip on power, both as commander-in-chief of the military and leader of the ruling party.
Despite facing criticism and accusations of corruption and human rights abuses, dos Santos remained in power until 2017, making him one of Africa’s longest-serving leaders.
His departure marks an important moment in Angola’s history, as the country prepares for its first presidential transition in nearly 40 years.
contour
- Full name: Jose Eduardo dos Santos
- Stage name: Jose Eduardo dos Santos
- Date of birth: August 28, 1942
- Time of death: July 8, 2022 (79 years old), Barcelona, Spain
- Place of birth: Luanda, Angola
- Nationality: Angola
- Occupation: Angolan politician and military officer
- Height: 5’8
- Parents: Avellino Eduardo dos Santos, Jacinta Jose Paolino
- Siblings: 3, Marta dos Santos, Luis Eduardo dos Santos, Lucrecio Eduardo dos Santos and Avellino Eduardo dos Santos
- Spouses: Ana Paula dos Santos (married 1991-2022), Tatiana Kukanova (married 1966-1979), Maria Luisa Maria Luísa Abrantes Perdigão, Filomena Sousa
- Children: 10, Isabel dos Santos, Welwitschia José dos Santos, Coréon Dú, José Filomeno dos Santos, Eduardo Breno Lemos Santos, Eduane Danilo Lemos Santos, Josias dos Santos, José Avelino Gourge Santos and Houston Lulendo Lemos Santos
- Relationship: Married
- Net worth: $4 billion
early life and education
José Eduardo dos Santos is a prominent Angolan politician who served as the country’s second president from 1979 to 2017.
He was born on August 28, 1942 in Luanda, Angola, and was raised by his parents Avelino Eduardo dos Santos and Jacinta José Paulino .
He grew up with four siblings: Marta dos Santos, Luis Eduardo dos Santos, Lucrecio Eduardo dos Santos and Avellino Eduardo dos Santos.
Dos Santos comes from the Sambisanga district of Luanda and is a Christian. He joined the anti-colonial movement People’s Liberation Army while still in school and studied in the Soviet Union, earning degrees in petroleum engineering and radar communications.
After the Angolan War of Independence, he became the leader of the Angola People’s Liberation Army and helped Angola establish a Marxist-Leninist one-party state.
Profession
José Eduardo dos Santos is a well-known Angolan politician who served as the country’s president from 1979 to 2017.
He was also a prominent member of the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA), a political party that played an important role in the country’s struggle for independence from Portugal.
Dos Santos joined the People’s Liberation Army of Angola in 1970 and served as a member of its military wing, the People’s Armed Forces of Angola (FAPLA).
Before being elected to the Central Committee and Politburo in 1974, he held various positions in the MPLA, including representative in several countries.
José Eduardo dos Santos is a well-known figure within the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) party and has held various positions within the Angolan party and government.
After Angola gained independence from Portugal in 1975, he played a key role in gaining international recognition for the Angolan People’s Liberation Army government.
Although dos Santos was initially involved in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Health, he eventually became the country’s first foreign minister in 1975.
In 1977, at the first congress of the MPLA, he was re-elected as a member of the Central Committee and the Political Bureau, and in 1978 he served as Minister of Planning.
José Eduardo dos Santos served as President of Angola from September 21, 1979 to September 26, 2017.
He was also Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces and Speaker of the People’s Assembly of Angola, which was then a one-party state.
He took office in 1979 after the death of Angola’s first president, Agostinho Neto, from natural causes and remained in power for 38 years until he stepped down in 2017. Dos Santos’s presidency was marked by political and economic instability in Angola.
José Eduardo dos Santos has faced many challenges during his term as president, but one of the most pressing is the ongoing conflict with the National Union for the Comprehensive Integration of Angola (UNITA), the leader of Jonas Savin Than led a rival liberation movement.
Although it is the ruling government of Angola, the People’s Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) led by Dos Santos has never been fully recognized by UNITA and has therefore faced multiple armed conflicts.
The war was further complicated by foreign intervention, with the Soviet Union and Cuba supporting the PDPA government and the United States and South Africa supporting UNITA.
In order to limit the expansion of Soviet influence in Africa, the United Nations conducted two verification missions in Angola from 1989 to 1995.
social media
The social media accounts of Jose Eduardo dos Santos are not known to the media.
personal life
Jose Eduardo dos Santos was a prolific father who, according to sources, was married at least twice and possibly as many as four times.
He and his wife had at least six children, one of whom was born out of wedlock. His first marriage was to Tatiana Kukanova, a Russian-born geologist whom he met while studying in the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic (now Azerbaijan) .
They had a daughter, Isabel dos Santos, who was at one time the richest woman in Africa.
However, their marriage ended in divorce. Dos Santos later had two more marriages or long-term relationships, all of which ended in divorce or separation.
He had a child with his second wife, Filomena Sousa, named José Filomeno dos Santos, also known as “Zenú”, Later he served as chairman of Fundo Soberano de Angola.
José Eduardo dos Santos was married four times, the most notable of which were his third and fourth marriages.
His third wife, Maria Luísa Abrantes Perdigão, was the mother of his two children, Welwitschia “Tchize” dos Santos Santos) and Coréon Dú.
After the divorce, dos Santos married his fourth and final wife, Ana Paula de Lemos, with whom he had three children.
Despite their divorce, they remained married until his death in 2022. As of 2017, one of their children, Eduane Danilo, is involved in various business activities in Angola.
José Eduardo dos Santos is a controversial figure in Angolan politics who ruled the country for 38 years until his retirement in 2017.
He faced numerous accusations of corruption and human rights abuses during his time in power.
Despite this, he was given a state funeral in August 2022, attended by several African leaders and the President of Portugal.
However, his death is shrouded in mystery, with rumors that he suffered from health issues and a long battle with cancer.
He eventually died at the age of 79 from cardiopulmonary arrest and a positive COVID-19 test.
net worth
José Eduardo dos Santos is a controversial figure in Angola, with many accusing him of corruption and human rights abuses during his 38 years as president.
Despite this, he has amassed a fortune of approximately $4 billion, making him one of Africa’s richest politicians.
His vast wealth has raised questions about the sources of his income and the exploitation of Angola’s natural resources during his presidency.
