General João Rodrigues Lopes, known by his nom de guerre Ludy Kissassunda (27 September 1932[1] – 6 January 2021) was an Angolan general and politician. Born in 1932 in N'zeto, Zaire Province, he held important ranks during the Angolan War of Independence and the Angolan Civil War, holding a particularly important role with the reorganization of troops of, as well as the overall logistics of, the People's Liberation Army of Angola, which would later become the People's Armed Forces of Liberation of Angola (FAPLA).[2]
Gen. Ludy Kissassunda | |
|---|---|
| Governor of Zaire Province | |
| In office 1995–2004 | |
| Preceded by | Zeferino Estêvão Juliana |
| Succeeded by | Pedro Sebastião |
| Governor of Malanje Province | |
| In office 1980–1986 | |
| Preceded by | Domingos Afonso Neto |
| Succeeded by | Lt. Col. João Ernesto dos Santos Liberdade |
| Personal details | |
| Born | João Rodrigues Lopes 27 September 1932 N'zeto, Portuguese Angola (now Angola) |
| Died | 6 January 2021 (aged 88) Setúbal, Portugal |
| Political party | MPLA |
During his political career, he was a member of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the People's Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA), being one of Agostinho Neto's closest associates.[3] He was the founder and director of the Department of Information and Security of Angola (DISA), the MPLA's (and later Angola's) intelligence agency, from 1975 to 1979. He was also the governor of Malanje Province from 1980 to 1986, and of Zaire Province from 1995 to 2004.[4]
Kissassunda died on 6 January 2021 in Setúbal, Portugal.[3] He was buried at Alto das Cruzes cemetery in Luanda.[4]
References
edit- ^ 1 João Lopes / Ludy Kisasunda. ATD. 2023.
- ^ ""O País tem uma falta de memória histórica generalizada" - Maria Helena, viúva de Iko Carreira". Club-K. Archived from the original on 2019-09-05. Retrieved 2019-07-20.
- ^ a b "Mensagem de Condolências Pelo Falecimento do Camarada Rodrigues João Lopes «Ludy Kissassunda»". MPLA Bureau Político. 8 January 2021. Archived from the original on 8 September 2021. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
- ^ a b General Ludy Kissassunda é sepultado no Alto das Cruzes. Jornal de Angola. 15 de janeiro de 2021.