Iko Carreira
Iko Carreira | |
|---|---|
 Henrique - Iko - Teles Carreira | |
| Born | June 2, 1933 |
| Died | May 30, 2000 (aged 66) |
| Occupation(s) | First Secretary of Defense of Angola, freedom fighter |
| Years active | 1970–1990 |
| Military career | |
| Allegiance |  Angola |
General Henrique Teles Carreira (1933–2000), best known by the nickname Iko Carreira, served as the first Defense Minister of Angola from 1975 to 1980 during the civil war.[1] After the death of Agostinho Neto his position in the party weakened. He later served as ambassador to Algeria and military attaché to Spain.[2]
He was a fighter in the People's Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA), Agostinho Neto's armed wing fighting against Portuguese colonial rule. Founder and commander in chief of the Angolan Armed Forces, he defeated the FNLA in the north and UNITA in the south during the first civil war. As Secretary of Defense, he thwarted an attempt at a coup led by Nito Alves. Considered to be the regime's second in command until Neto's death, he was the first African military officer to receive a degree as a general from the Soviet Union 's (Academia de Estado- Maior).[3]
General Iko Carreira's last struggle was to combat his illness, a stroke that paralysed his entire left side for the last 13 years of his life, writing two novels with one finger, on a special computer. The novels are titled: "O Pensamento Estrategico de Agostinho Neto", Publicacoes Dom Quixote, and "Memorias" published in Angola by Nzila.[3]
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