MAPUTO, Feb. 21 (Xinhua) -- Mozambique on Wednesday started a five-day national mourning for the passing of former Namibian President Hage Geingob.
The decision was made by the Mozambican government at a session of the Council of Ministers on Feb. 13. From Wednesday to Sunday, the national flags will be flown at half-mast throughout the Mozambican territory and at the diplomatic and consular missions of Mozambique.
"The determination of national mourning is in recognition of the historical bonds of brotherhood, friendship, and solidarity existing between the peoples, governments, and the two states and their role in promoting and consolidating excellent relations of cooperation, as well as promoting the spirit of unity and regional integration in the context of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), and also his standing as a great pan-Africanist and a tireless fighter for the freedom of the African continent," said Ludovina Bernardo, spokesperson for the Council of Ministers, while announcing the decision on Feb. 13.
Hage Geingob died on Feb. 4 at the age of 82 in a hospital in the Namibian capital of Windhoek. He was diagnosed with cancer. ■
