General Manuel Helder Vieira Dias Júnior (Kopelipa)

Reports are circulating of the downfall of General Helder Vieira Días ‘Kopelipa’ who runs the GRN which oversees the CIF projects and who has declined to give much information to the Finance Ministry but has gone as far as to show the Finance Minister the projects on the ground...

The presidency even took the unusual step on 27 December of publicly denying a report in the weekly Folha 8 that Kopelipa and his ally António José Maria head of military intelligence were under arrest saying that ‘The said generals continue in their normal duties...

De Morais and Kopelipa who have a difficult relationship are due in Beijing this month to see if the problems can be patched up...

The latest row over China’s US$6 billion credit line to the Luanda government pitted two former intelligence chiefs against each other: General Manuel Hélder Vieira Dias ‘Kopelipa’ the former security advisor to President José Eduardo dos Santos and General Fernando Garcia Miala the long-time military intelligence director...

Kopelipa is ahead on all counts...

With continuing support from Dos Santos Kopelipa controls the government’s management of all China’s credit lines...

Miala has been dismissed from the army and was sentenced on 20 September to four years in gaol for insubordination after he had questioned Kopelipa’s competence and honesty in managing the China credit line...

Kopelipa has other enemies in the security elite...

The GRN is headed by Kopelipa who is now head of civil affairs at the presidency and arguably Angola’s second most powerful person...

Among other things Kopelipa helped engineer Miala’s fall from grace following a power struggle over control of access to financial flows from oil diamonds and foreign credit lines...

Manuel Helder Vieira Dias 'Kopelipa' one of President José Eduardo dos Santos' closest allies has reinforced his powerbase in the services but he remains a divisive figure...

Miala's associates speak of him leading an 'Africanist' group in the security services that clashed with a mestiço (mixed-race) group led by Kopelipa...

Apart from a farm in Gabela in Kwanza Sul and a business involvement with diamond magnate Lev Leviev Miala is not regarded as spectacularly wealthy - unlike his rival Kopelipa...

Manuel Vieira Dias Junior 'Kopelipa' uncovered the plot and told Dos Santos...

Manuel Helder Vieira Dias 'Kopelipa' the head of the Casa Militar at the presidency led the security reorganisation...

Kopelipa is detested by many MPLA activists but trusted by the President with whom he jointly controls Angola's huge China-boosted oil-fired reconstruction programme (which includes the 'pacification' of Cabinda...

In Angola Manuel Hélder Vieira Dias ‘Kopelipa’ who has worked in military intelligence for two decades controls military affairs in the Futungo de Belas...

Close to President José Eduardo dos Santos Kopelipa liaises with Chinese officials over the allocation of their multi-billlion dollar credit lines which are used for the post-war reconstruction...

The director of the Reconstruction Office is General (Retired) Manuel Hélder Vieira Dias 'Kopelipa' the enormously wealthy head of military affairs at the presidency who recently won a long-running battle with his long-time rival Gen...

Miala was thought to harbour political ambitions after the long-deferred departure of President José Eduardo dos Santos; Kopelipa wasn't...

Kopelipa's...

Manuel Helder Vieira Dias 'Kopelipa' looks to be the immediate beneficiary of Miala's sacking...

Already the second most powerful man after Dos Santos Kopelipa takes over Miala's intelligence role...

As Head of the National Reconstruction Council Kopelipa manages billions of dollars including the US$2 bn...

Last year Kopelipa jointly led Luanda's delegation to Beijing to discuss the operation of the credit line China's biggest facility for Africa...

Two special presidential advisors remain extremely powerful: Carlos Feijó as head of the presidency's Civil Affairs department and the wealthy Manuel Helder Vieira Días Júnior 'Kopelipa'...

The elusive Kopelipa has many business interests including awarding lobbying contracts to public-relations companies in Washington...

Though theoretically integrated into the national political structure and under ministerial control the Office through Kopelipa will allow the President to exert more direct control over post-war reconstruction contracts...

Last year's clean-up efforts by De Morais have been outweighed by bizarre debt deals and the continued power of old-guard politicians and apparatchiks such as Public Works Minister Francisco Higino Lopes Carneiro and the Presidential Security Advisor General Helder Vieira Dias 'Kopelipa'...