Angolan presidential candidate Joao Lourenco, who appears set to win next month’s election, launched his campaign on Tuesday with a speech vowing to tackle corruption and spread wealth. Defence minister Lourenco, 63, is the chosen successor of President Jose Eduardo dos Santos, whose decision to not contest the August 23 vote will bring to an … Read more
Angola’s parliament passed a law on Friday that will drastically limit the powers of the country’s future presidents in matters of security and defence. The law will only apply to successors of the current head of state, President Jose Eduardo dos Santos, who has enjoyed unfettered control of Angola’s sprawling military and security institutions since … Read more
Zimbabwe’s 93-year-old President Robert Mugabe is in Singapore for a “routine medical check-up”, state media reported Sunday. “President Mugabe on Friday left the country for Singapore for a routine medical check-up,” the Sunday Mail newspaper reported. The paper said the veteran ruler is expected back in Zimbabwe midweek. Mugabe’s medical trips to the Southeast Asia … Read more
Angolan President Jose Eduardo dos Santos returned to Spain on Monday for a “private visit”, officials said, five weeks after a monthlong trip to the country when he underwent medical tests. Dos Santos, 74, has been dogged by reports of poor health, with his daughter Isabel having to deny rumours that he had died on … Read more
Angolan Vice President Manuel Vicente will face trial in Portugal over allegations he bribed a magistrate to drop two investigations against him, according to a Wednesday ruling cited in Portuguese media. Vicente, who was the president of Angolan national oil company Sonangol at the time of the alleged crimes, is accused of bribery, money laundering … Read more
Angola’s ruling party has bowed to public criticism of a proposed law banning all abortions and instead accepted a revised bill allowing terminations in cases of rape or maternal health risk. The about-turn follows a rare rally in March when roughly 200 demonstrators protested against the proposed bill under heavy police surveillance in the capital … Read more
At least 4,000 Angolans marched through Luanda on Saturday to demand a fair election in August when President Jose Eduardo dos Santos is due to step down after 38 years in power. Protests are rarely allowed in Angola but Saturday’s event, which was organised by the UNITA opposition party, was authorised by the police. Dos … Read more
Angolan President Jose Eduardo dos Santos, who has been dogged by reports of poor health, has returned to Luanda after nearly a month in Spain, party officials said Tuesday. Dos Santos’s medical condition has recently been subject to fierce speculation, with his daughter Isabel forced to deny rumours that he had died while in Spain. … Read more
Seven Angolan opposition activists have been sentenced to 45 days in jail over a protest calling for transparency in August elections when veteran President Jose Eduardo dos Santos is due to stand down. The election is set to mark a new chapter for Angola as Dos Santos hands over power after ruling the oil-rich country … Read more
Seven Angolan opposition activists have been sentenced to 45 days in jail over a protest calling for transparency in next year’s election when veteran President Jose Eduardo dos Santos will stand down. The election, due to be held in August, will mark a new chapter for Angola as Dos Santos hands over power after ruling … Read more
About 200 demonstrators protested under heavy police surveillance in the Angolan capital Luanda on Saturday against a draft law criminalising all abortions. The proposed new penal code has been sharply criticised, including by Isabel dos Santos, reported to be the richest woman in Africa and the daughter of veteran President Jose Eduardo dos Santos. The … Read more
As part of International Women’s Day celebration, we take a look at Africa’s richest women according to the 2017 Forbes magazine rich list. Africa’s two women billionaires are ‘united’ by the oil trade. Angola’s Isabel Dos Santos and Nigeria’s Folorunsho Alakija are under the spotlight. They are the only two women to have made it … Read more
Angola said on Friday that Portugal’s decision to charge its Vice President Manuel Vicente with corruption and money laundering was a “serious attack” that threatened relations between the two states. A foreign affairs ministry statement said Angola “considers unfriendly and nonsensical the way the Portuguese authorities conveyed this news which constitutes a serious attack on … Read more
Angola’s likely next president Joao Lourenco on Monday declared war on graft in the notoriously corrupt country, as he starts to shape his public image ahead of elections due in August. Defence Minister Lourenco was recently named to succeed President Jose Eduardo dos Santos, who has ruled Angola for 37 years, as head of the … Read more
Portuguese prosecutors on Thursday charged Angolan Vice President Manuel Vicente with corruption over allegations he bribed a magistrate with roughly 760,000 euros ($800,000) in 2012 to drop two investigations against him. Vicente, who was the president of Angolan national oil company Sonangol at the time of the alleged crimes, is charged with bribery, money laundering … Read more
Portuguese state prosecutors are bringing corruption charges against Angola’s vice-president Manuel Vicente. The attorney-general’s office says that Mr Vicente paid $810,000 (£650,000) in bribes to shut down corruption investigations that he was facing. The alleged bribes were made to Portugal’s former public prosecutor Orlando Figueira, who also faces charges as part of “Operation Fizz”. Mr … Read more
Angola announced an investigation Saturday into a stadium stampede that killed at least 17 and injured scores in an incident that the host team blamed on police error. The government has set up a commission to probe Friday’s crush — described as the country’s worst football tragedy — the national Angop news agency reported. Children … Read more
Angolan President Jose Eduardo dos Santos has ordered an investigation into the cause of a stampede at a football match in which at least 17 people were killed. Scores of people were injured in the stampede at a stadium in the northern city of Uige on Friday when hundreds of supporters stormed the venue’s gates. … Read more
At least 17 football fans were killed after a stampede broke out at a stadium in northern Angola, police said, in an incident that also left scores of people wounded. A wave of panic spread through the crowd on Friday at a league game in the town of Uige between the Santa Rita de Cassia … Read more
Angola’s long-time President Jose Eduardo dos Santos has confirmed he will step down before August’s poll and has announced his likely successor. He told a meeting of the governing MPLA party that Joao Lourenco, the defence minister, would be the party’s presidential candidate. But the 74-year-old is to remain leader of the influential ruling party. … Read more