Angola president list

Agostinho Neto was an Angolan statesman and the first president of Angola. He was born on September 27, , in the village of Bengo, located southeast of Luanda. After completing secondary school from to , Neto worked in the Department of Health while also serving as the secretary of the American Mission Bishop Ralph Dodge. Agostinho Neto was born on September 27, , in the village of Bengo, part of the Mbundu tribe in Angola.

After finishing secondary school, he worked in the Department of Health from to Bishop Dodge played an instrumental role in the development of several prominent African leaders, including Eduardo Mondlane from Mozambique. With Dodge's support, Neto received a scholarship to study medicine in Portugal, where he gained recognition as an anti-colonial protest poet.

Neto was arrested in for his active involvement in the anti-Salazar youth movement. He faced imprisonment from to In , he resumed his studies and obtained a medical degree.

Agostinho neto wife

During this time, he married a Portuguese woman and returned to Angola in to practice medicine in his native village. In exile, other MPLA leaders also established their headquarters. With the overthrow of the dictatorship and a sharp shift to the left in Portugal, Neto and the MPLA benefited greatly. Despite facing opposition from UNITA controlling parts of southern Angola and constant incursions from South African forces from Namibia, as well as attempted coups by his own army, Neto managed to retain power thanks to the support of the Soviet Union and Cuba.

Agostinho Neto passed away on September 10, , after undergoing an oncological operation in Moscow. Despite his relatively short presidency, Neto played a significant role in Angola's struggle for independence and the formation of its government.