"The family of engineer José Eduardo dos Santos, who appreciates all the messages of affection, support and prayers he has received, requests that, in this difficult time, his privacy be respected", says a statement sent to the Lusa agency on behalf of of the family.
The children thank "the recognition, the high degree of esteem, the interest expressed in their health and well-being, as well as the historical importance that many Angolans and Africans recognize to the engineer José Eduardo dos Santos (former president of the Republic of Angola) ", but say that the moment is sensitive.
"On June 23, 2022, in Barcelona (Spain), engineer José Eduardo dos Santos suffered a cardiorespiratory arrest" and, "after being rescued by a medical team, he was taken to a hospital in that city, having been admitted to the intensive care unit", explain the children.
The medical team that "accompanies engineer José Eduardo dos Santos continues to monitor his health status and the neurological complications that resulted from the cardiorespiratory arrest", having been "carrying out additional tests, his clinical condition being critical and delicate", says the communiqué.
The "family continues to monitor, permanently, the entire evolution of the health status of engineer José Eduardo dos Santos, together with the medical team" and is grateful for all the messages of affection, support and prayers that it has received.
However, "requests that, in this difficult time, that its privacy be respected", can be read in the statement, which was distributed the day after the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Téte António, visited the health unit, in Barcelona. .
On the occasion, Téte António ruled out the possibility of the Government deciding on the medical treatment of former president José Eduardo dos Santos, stressing that "the decision is usually made by the family".
Asked by journalists whether his presence at the clinic where José Eduardo dos Santos is hospitalized means that the Government will give instructions to doctors to turn off the machines, the official replied: "No, when it comes to circumstances like these, the decision is usually made by the family. , in addition to the fact that we are Africans and we have a culture that does not match these types of hypotheses".
The clinical situation of José Eduardo dos Santos has motivated public accusations by one of the daughters of the former President, Tchizé dos Santos, to the Government of Angola. The former deputy announced that she had hired a Spanish lawyer to prevent the machines that support José Eduardo dos Santos' life from being turned off and to remove Ana Paula dos Santos, the current wife.
A source close to the family confirmed to Lusa that Tchizé dos Santos hired the lawyer to "lock up Ana Paula dos Santos", wife of the former president, with whom she has three children.
The former first lady, who recently reconnected with José Eduardo dos Santos after a few years of separation, went on a collision course with her eldest children, namely Tchizé dos Santos, who has already publicly said that Ana Paula dos Santos "abandoned her husband " and has contributed to accelerating the father's death.
José Eduardo dos Santos, 79, is the father of eight children with five wives.
