Luanda - The President of the Republic, João Lourenço, paid tribute on Thursday in Luanda to the nationalist Rui Mingas, who died last Thursday in Portugal, considering that his passing impoverishes the country.

At the wake, held at the Army Headquarters, the Head of State wrote in the book of condolences the achievements of Rui Mingas as a nationalist, sportsman, diplomat, deputy and rector of a private university.

He added that, on several fronts and in various functions, the late represented the country with talent and dignity, starting by raising the name of Angola in professional athletics and, from a very early age, he asserted himself as a composer and singer, including the National Anthem, and as a symbol of resistance against the colonial power.

João Lourenço recalled that already in independent Angola Rui Mingas held positions of political responsibility, having been a deputy and Secretary of State for Physical Education and Sports.

Shortly before, after the National Anthem was sung, the Head of State, accompanied by the First Lady, Ana Dias Lourenço, bowed before the coffin and laid a wreath, having conveyed feelings of condolence to the widow and orphans.

On her turn, the Vice-President of the Republic, Esperança da Costa, wrote in the book that Rui Mingas' achievements in politics, diplomacy, sports and art transcend borders and enhance the homeland.

She added that the departure of a nationalist of the stature of Rui Mingas leaves an unbearable void.

The National Assembly said, in a funeral eulogy, that the members of the parliament bow to the memory of Rui Mingas for the work that endures for a fair and developed Angola.

In turn, Ambassador Marcos Barrica stressed that the late man, as head of the diplomatic mission in Portugal, played a leading role in the prestige and good name of the “motherland”, in a context of great political transformation with the extinction of the Soviet Union and German unification.

In the message of condolences, on behalf of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, he underlined the role played in that period of relative hostility against Angola in Portugal and the fact that he had participated in the negotiations for the signing of the Bicesse peace accords in 1991.

Rui Mingas, who died of illness at the age of 84, will be buried on Friday at the Alto das Cruzes cemetery in the Angolan capital. JFS/MCN/DOJ