Angola: Jose Eduardo Dos Santos

Updated March 2002

Jose Eduardo Dos Santos was born on August 28 1942 in Luanda. He founded the youth organization of the MPLA in 1961; its main concern was to further Angola's struggle for independence. His activities within the MPLA forced him into exile.

He was awarded a scholarship in 1963 to study in the Soviet Union at the Institute of Moscow Graduate where he received a degree in petroleum engineering. He remained in the Soviet Union until 1969 furthering his studies at the Baku Institute of Oil and Gas and completing a military course in telecommunications.

During the period 1970-1974 Dos Santos participated vigorously in the liberation war and in 1974 was named coordinator of the Foreign Affairs Department of the MPLA. This was owing to his diplomatic activities in gaining international support for the MPLA cause.

After Angola was declared independent in 1975 Dos Santos was named Minister of Foreign Affairs. During the period 1977-1979 he occupied positions within economic development and planning, national reconstruction and education, culture and sport ministries. He also held the position of first deputy prime minister.

In 1979 Dos Santos was named president after the death of MPLA leader Agostino Neto. His main concern during his term has been the ending of civil war in Angola and containing UNITA forces. At first Dos Santos continued MPLA policy of accepting military support from the Soviet Union and Cuba but in 1990 he abandoned Marxism and adopted instead a national transition towards democracy that included political pluralism and the establishment of a market economy.

In 1991 Dos Santos signed the Bicasse Accords that allowed for Angola's first democratic elections. Dos Santos and his party won the elections. Despite their being endorsed by the UN and international observers, UNITA contested the election results and returned the country to war. It should be noted that if civil war had not broken out Dos Santos, having failed to secure an outright victory in the election, would have been obliged to participate in a second round of elections with Jonas Savimbi (UNITA).

Furthermore Dos Santos dismissed several prime ministers and took on the duties of prime minister himself as well as remaining as head of state and president of the ruling party. Dos Santos was once referred to as "Africa's Machiavelli". This is in large part owing to his justification that Angola's state of crisis called for the centralising of power. Critics have disagreed labeling Dos Santos's actions unconstitutional.

In 1994 efforts to bring about peace culminated in the Lusaka Protocol an accord signed by both MPLA and UNITA. The accord was unsuccessful, and war continued in Angola until 2002. Following the death of Jonas Savimbi a peace accord was reached in February, 2002. Dos Santos claims he will not seek another term as President.

Eduardo Dos Santos is married to Ana Paula and they have two children.

Source

PEARCE, J 2001 "Profile Jose Eduardo Dos Santos", BBC News World, Africa, August 23.