The ceremony, which took place in the Great Hall of the Presidential Palace, was marked by two moments: the promotion of Altino dos Santos to head of the General Staff of the FAA and his taking office.
"The President of the Republic, João Lourenço, promoted today, January 24, Altino Carlos José Dos Santos to head of the General Staff of the Angolan Armed Forces, having then sworn him in, in his new functions, in a solemn ceremony held at the Noble Hall of the Presidential Palace", reads a note from CIPRA, which VerAngola had access to.
According to the communiqué, this is the first time that the country has had a head of the General Staff of the FAA originally from the National Air Force.
"For the first time, we tested compliance with the law that says that the leadership of the Armed Forces must be rotated. That is, it must not fall in favor of just one of the branches. As we know, the Armed Forces have three branches: the Army, Force Air Force and the Navy. To date, the leadership of the Armed Forces has always been entrusted to an Army general. This is the first time that we have tested the appointment of a general from another branch different from the Army, in this case a General of the Force National Airline", reasoned the head of state, quoted in the note.
Other newly appointed general officers were also sworn in at the ceremony, namely Artur Santos Vinama, Deputy Chief of General Staff for the Operational Area and Development, João Serafim Kiteculo, commander of the Army, and Virgínio António da Cunha Pinto, commander of the Air Force National.
"Likewise, Gouveia João de Sá Miranda, Inspector General of National Defence, and Sequeira João Lourenço, deputy head of the Military House of the President of the Republic, now carry out their new duties", completes the note.
