Angolan ex-president dos Santos to be buried on Sunday

Angola's former president Jose Eduardo dos Santos, who died in Spain last month, will be buried in his native country on Sunday, which would have been his 80th birthday, Luanda has announced.

The funeral "will take place" on August 28 in Luanda at 10:00 am (1100 GMT), according to a foreign ministry note verbale to foreign diplomats in Luanda seen by AFP on Wednesday.

Dos Santos, who ruled Angola with an iron fist for 38 years, died on July 8 at a hospital in Barcelona after suffering cardiac arrest.

The government and his children have been at odds over when and where he would be buried.

Read: Angolans head to elections in tightest ever race

His 44-year-old daughter Tchize dos Santos has insisted he had wanted to be buried in Spain, where he had lived since 2019.

But a Spanish court last week ordered the body be released to his Luanda-based widow and repatriated to Angola.

Read: Dos Santos: Angola's secretive, all-powerful, long-time ruler

His body was returned to Luanda on Saturday evening.

When he stepped down in 2017, dos Santos handed over to former defence minister Joao Lourenco whom he had handpicked to succeed him.

Lourenco is seeking re-election in a tightly fought election taking place on Wednesday.