Kuwait’s ruling emir Sheikh Nawaf Al Ahmad Al Sabah, 86, died on Saturday.
Kuwait’s state television burst into its programming with Quranic verses just before a somber official made the announcement.
“With great sadness and regret, we – the Kuwaiti people, the Arab and Islamic nations and the friendly peoples of the world – mourn the late His Highness the Amir, Sheikh Nawaf Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah, who passed away in the hands of his Lord. today,” Sheikh Mohammed Abdullah Al Sabah, minister of his emir’s court, read in the brief statement.
Authorities did not give any cause of death.
Kuwait’s deputy ruler and his half-brother Sheikh Meshal Al Ahmad Al Jaber, now 83, is believed to be the world’s oldest crown prince.
He is on his way to taking over as ruler of Kuwait.
The ruling emir of oil-rich Kuwait was hospitalized on Wednesday, November 29, 2023 “due to an emergency health issue,” but was later in stable condition, state news agency KUNA reported. AP
In late November, Sheikh Nawaf was rushed to hospital for an unspecified illness.
Since then, the small oil-rich nation had been waiting for news about his health.
State news previously reported that he traveled to the United States for unspecified medical checks in March 2021.
The health of Kuwait’s leaders remains a sensitive issue in the Middle Eastern nation bordering Iraq and Saudi Arabia, which has seen internal power struggles behind palace doors.
Sheikh Ahmad Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah addresses the 78th United Nations General Assembly at UN Headquarters in New York City on September 21, 2023. AFP via Getty Images
Sheikh Nawaf was sworn in as emir following the death in 2020 of his predecessor, the late Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah.
The breadth and depth of emotion at the loss of Sheikh Sabah, known for his diplomacy and peacemaking, was felt throughout the region.
Sheikh Nawaf previously served as Kuwait’s interior and defense minister, but was not considered particularly active in government outside of those terms.
A drone image shows Nawaf al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah flying over Kuwait City on February 16, 2023, to celebrate the 62nd Independence Day and the 32nd anniversary of the end of the Gulf War with the liberation of Kuwait. . AFP via Getty Images
However, he was largely an uncontroversial choice for emir, although his advanced age led analysts to suggest that his tenure would be short.
Sheikh Nawaf’s tenure had focused on domestic issues as he fought political disputes – including reform of Kuwait’s welfare system – that prevented the sheikh from falling into debt.
That left it with little in its coffers to pay inflated public sector salaries, despite generating immense wealth from its oil reserves.
In 2021, Sheikh Nawaf issued a long-awaited amnesty decree, pardoning and reducing the sentences of nearly three dozen Kuwaiti dissidents in a move aimed at defusing a major government standoff.
The Emir of Kuwait, Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah (C), the Crown Prince, Sheikh Nawaf al-Ahmad al-Sabah (L), and the Speaker of Parliament, Jasem al-Khorafi (R ), attend a military parade in Kuwait City on March 7, 2007. AFP via Getty Images
He issued another just before his illness, aiming to resolve that political impasse that also led Kuwait to hold three separate parliamentary elections under his government.
Kuwait is perceived to have the freest parliament in the Gulf and to comparatively allow dissent.
Meanwhile, Gulf Cooperation Council states, including Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, restored ties after years of boycotting Doha, easing regional tensions and allowing Sheikh Nawaf to focus on domestic issues.
Kuwait, a nation of about 4.2 million people, slightly smaller than the US state of New Jersey, has the world’s sixth-largest known oil reserves.
It has been a staunch ally of the United States since the 1991 Gulf War drove out Saddam Hussein’s Iraqi occupation forces.
Kuwait is home to about 13,500 U.S. troops in the country, as well as the U.S. military’s forward headquarters in the Middle East.
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Source: vtt.edu.vn