In Angola, tributes to José Eduardo dos Santos amid tensions
Throughout the day, this Saturday, August 27, Angolans came to pay tribute to former President José Eduardo dos Santos, who died on July 8.
AFP - JULIO PACHECO NTELA
Text by: RFI Follow
2 mins
Angola bury this Sunday August 28 its former president José Eduardo dos Santos, who died on July 8 in Barcelona.
This Saturday, the coffin of the man who led the country for 42 years was exhibited in Republic Square, Luanda.
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With our special correspondent in Luanda,
Gaëlle Laleix
Under a large white capital, facing the Augustino Neto memorial, rests the coffin of
José Eduardo dos Santos
.
Thousands of Angolans have come to meditate since the morning.
The crowd was not huge, but the flow continued.
Bernardo arrived at Republic Square early, when the place was still almost empty.
“
José Eduardo dos Santos was the architect of peace, so the people were waiting for him
,” he explains.
Angola experienced a civil war lasting more than 25 years, between the MPLA of José Eduardo dos Santos, and the Unità of Jonas Savimbi.
In the square, large panels of photos of fighters salute the peacemaker.
It is this story that the Angolan authorities wish to tell today, while the
provisional results of the general elections
are contested by the opposition and part of civil society.
"
This tribute must be a moment of national unity
," says the bishop, Monsignor Apolonio Graciano, who explains that he is addressing social networks in particular.
We cannot maintain conflicts, discords.
»
But on the square, some do not hide their anger at the state of their country.
“
After 42 years of Zè Du's power, there is immense poverty, but it's not just his fault.
He always thought about the good of his people.
We changed presidents and the country is in ruins
, ”reproaches a man.
“
João Louenço ruined everything.
We are suffering, we have nothing
, ” gets carried away by another.
Calls to demonstrate this Saturday morning Place du 1er-Mai have been circulating since yesterday.
In the end, no rally took place.
From 6 a.m., the city center was completely cordoned off by the police for the procession of José Eduardo dos Santos.
Conflicting funerals
The former president died on July 8 in Barcelona, Spain.
But his remains were only able to return to Angola last week, due to a dispute between two of his daughters and his widow.
On the day of the death of the former president, one of his daughters lodged a complaint with the Spanish courts.
She suspects the widow of José Eduardo dos Santos, Ana Paula, of having played a role in his death.
In the background, a war is being played out for the funeral of the former president.
The Angolan government wants a state funeral.
But Tchizé and Isabel dos Santos, the daughters, want to bury their father in complete privacy, in Spain.
Above all, they want to prevent the MPLA from using the popular emotion aroused by a national funeral on the eve of general elections.
Joao Lourenço, successor to José Eduardo dos Santos, has indeed attacked the Dos Santos family head-on in his fight against corruption.
After an autopsy, the Spanish justice returns the body to the widow of the former president, who herself supports Joao Lourenço.
Today's funeral comes as the country is still awaiting the final results of its general election and the opposition is contesting the provisional results.
But according to the authorities, the time is no longer for politics.
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Jose Eduardo dos Santos
Angola
Joao Lourenco