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Published December 16, 2023, 5:14 am ET
Kuwait's ruling emir, 86-year-old Sheikh Nawaf Al Ahmad Al Sabah, has died, state television reported. AP
Kuwait's ruling emir, 86-year-old Sheikh Nawaf Al Ahmad Al Sabah, died on Saturday.
Shortly before a sombre official made the announcement, Kuwaiti state television broke into the broadcast of Quranic verses.
“It is with great sadness and sadness that we – the Kuwaiti people, the Arab and Islamic nations and the friendly peoples of the world – mourn His Highness the Emir Sheikh Nawaf Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah, who passed away in the name of his Lord today,” Sheikh Mohammed Abdullah Al Sabah, minister of his Emirian court, read out the brief statement.
Authorities did not give a cause of death.
The deputy ruler of Kuwait and his half-brother, Sheikh Meshal Al Ahmad Al Jaber, now 83, are considered the oldest crown prince in the world.
He is about to take power in Kuwait.
The ruling emir of oil-rich Kuwait was admitted to hospital on Wednesday, November 29, 2023, “due to an emergency health problem” but was later in stable condition, state news agency KUNA reported. AP
In late November, Sheikh Nawaf was hospitalized for an unspecified illness.
Since then, the small, oil-rich country has been waiting for news about his health.
State news previously reported that he traveled to the United States in March 2021 for unspecified medical examinations.
The health of Kuwait's leadership remains a sensitive issue in the Middle Eastern country bordering Iraq and Saudi Arabia, where infighting has raged behind palace doors.
Sheikh Ahmad Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah addresses the 78th United Nations General Assembly at the UN headquarters in New York City on September 21, 2023. AFP via Getty Images
Sheikh Nawaf was sworn in as Emir following the death of his predecessor, the late Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah, in 2020.
The great and deep emotion over the loss of Sheikh Sabah, who was 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 the government outside of those terms.
A drone-generated image shows Nawaf al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah hovering 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 advancing age led analysts to believe his tenure would be short-lived.
Sheikh Nawaf's term focused on domestic issues as the sheikhdom struggled with political disputes – including the overhaul of Kuwait's social system – which prevented the sheikdom from taking on debt.
That has left the country with little left to pay bloated 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 an attempt to defuse a major government stalemate.
The Emir of Kuwait, Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah (center), Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf al-Ahmad al-Sabah (l.) and Parliament Speaker Jasem al-Khorafi (r.) take part in a military parade in Kuwait – City part March 7, 2007. AFP via Getty Images
Shortly before his illness, he called for another election with the aim of resolving the political impasse that also led to Kuwait holding three separate parliamentary elections under his rule.
Kuwait is considered to be the country with the freest parliament in the Gulf, which comparatively allows dissenting opinions.
Meanwhile, Gulf Cooperation Council states, including Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, restored relations after years of Doha boycott, easing regional tensions and allowing Sheikh Nawaf to focus on the issues at home country to concentrate.
Kuwait, a country of about 4.2 million people that is slightly smaller than the U.S. state of New Jersey, has the sixth-largest known oil reserves in the world.
It has been a loyal U.S. ally since Saddam Hussein's Iraqi occupation forces were driven out in the 1991 Gulf War.
Kuwait is home to around 13,500 American soldiers in the country and is the headquarters of the US Army in the Middle East.
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