JOSÉ EDUARDO DOS SANTOS, President of the Republic of Angola, was born on 28 August 1942, to Eduardo Avelino dos Santos and Jacinta José Paulino. He is married to Ana Paula dos Santos. He graduated from high school in Luanda (Salvador Correia High School) and joined MPLA in November of 1961 while in exile. In 1969 he earned his undergraduate degree in Petroleum Engineering from the Baku Institute of Petroleum and Gas (former Soviet Union).

After returning to the country, he became the Minister of External Relations of the first Government after the Independence of Angola, the 2nd Vice - Prime Minister in 1978, and the Minister of Planning from 1978 to 1979. He was elected President of MPLA on 20 September 1979 and was inaugurated as President of the People’s Republic of Angola until presidential elections in October 1992, where he won the first round with 49.6% of votes.

From 1986 to 1992 José Eduardo dos Santos led peace efforts in the country and in the region, which culminated with the retreat of South African invading troops, repatriation of Cuban troops, independence of Namibia and the end of the apartheid regime in South Africa.

Thanks to the implementation of a multilateral programme of national resistance to war, upon the initiative of the President of Angola, military commanders of the Government finally reached an understanding with the armed rebel forces. This led to the definitive end of the war in Angola through an act celebrated in a solemn ceremony in Luanda, on 4 April 2002.

Around that same time, the Angolan President made a decisive contribution to the stabilisation of the situation in the Republic of Congo/Brazzaville and the Democratic Republic of Congo, and to a political solution for the military conflict in the Great Lakes region.