Luanda — Angolan Head of State João Lourenço appealed Friday in Luanda for the serenity in the face of the death of the former President of the Republic, José Eduardo dos Santos, which took place in Barcelona, Spain.

In a statement, Lourenco hailed dos Santos' dedication to the country, lauding him as a "unique figure of the Angolan homeland."

Speaking to the press, at the end of an emergency meeting of the MPLA, the ruling party, of which José Eduardo dos Santos was President Emeritus, he said that he was a great patriot, who gave his whole life for the good of Angola and the Angolans.

For this reason, he asked people to follow the programme of the funeral through the media, until the "state funeral to which he is entitled and which it is the Executive's obligation to organise".

Likewise, he expressed his solidarity with the family at this very difficult time, adding that "they do not suffer alone. Whole people are sharing the same pain".

As for the return or not of some of his children who are abroad, he stressed that "at the moment the Executive is mainly focused on execution of the funeral and, no authority in the country has the competence to prevent Angolan citizens living abroad from returning to their country, no matter what the circumstances".

"In view of the current circumstances, there is no reason why the family residing abroad can't attend the funeral of their loved one. We are relying on the presence of everyone without exception," he said.

José Eduardo dos Santos was President of the MPLA and of the Republic of Angola, positions held from 1979 to 2017, in addition to other relevant functions in the central administration of the State.