Father of Angola's independence, Holden Roberto, dies

0 Comments | AFP, August, 2007

LUANDA, Angola (AFP) — Holden Roberto, 84, one of the fathers of Angola's independence and a staunch opponent of President Eduardo Dos Santos to the very end, has died of cardiac arrest, his party announced Friday.

"Our historic leader, Alvaro Holden Roberto, died on Thursday... at his (Luanda) residence. We call on all militants to remain calm to enable us to pay homage to our leader," the National Liberation Front of Angola (FNLA) vice president Gola Kabkbangu told AFP.

No date has been fixed yet for his funeral, he said.

Angola's main opposition party, the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA), said it regretted "having missed an opportunity to pay due homage to Holden Roberto while he was alive."

Roberto as a "pre-eminent...