Abílio Duarte

Abílio Augusto Monteiro Duarte was born on February 16, 1931, in Praia on Santiago island. Joining the clandestine anti-colonial liberation struggle in the late 1950s alongside Amílcar Cabral, Duarte was a founding militant of the PAIGC, directing its external diplomatic missions in Algiers, Conakry, and Cairo.

On July 5, 1975, upon Cape Verde's independence, Duarte was elected the inaugural President of the National People's Assembly, presiding over the young nation's legislative establishment for sixteen years. He also served as Minister of Foreign Affairs, establishing Cape Verde's respected policy of non-aligned diplomacy and African solidarity. High schools in Palmarejo bear his name.