"The United States offers its condolences on the death of former Angolan President José Eduardo dos Santos. He played an important role in Angola's history, during its struggle for independence, as Minister of Foreign Affairs and as President", reads a statement. of the US State Department.
In the same note, the ministry headed by Antony Blinken recalls that, following the "long and painful civil war", José Eduardo dos Santos dos Santos "oversaw the remarkable reintegration and transition to peace of the country during the complex post-colonial era" .
The Angolan Civil War, between 1975 and 2002, was considered a Cold War proxy war, with the Soviet Union and the United States supporting the two opposing sides, respectively the communist Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA), party of José Eduardo dos Santos, and the anti-communist National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA).
"The United States remains committed to strengthening its strategic partnership with Angola and deepening the relationship between the American and Angolan people," the statement added.
Former President José Eduardo dos Santos died on July 8, aged 79, in a clinic in Barcelona, Spain, after weeks of hospitalization.
The Government decreed seven days of national mourning and declared that it intends to hold a state funeral in Luanda, a decision opposed by one of the daughters, Tchizé dos Santos, stating that this was not the will of her father, and that José Eduardo dos Santos did not he wanted to be buried in Angola while João Lourenço is in power.
