Emir of Kuwait, Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah, dies at 91

The Emir of Kuwait, Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah, who had ruled his oil-rich country since 2006 and had been its foreign minister for 40 years, including during Saddam’s invasion Hussein, died He was 91 years old

He is set to be replaced by his 83-year-old half-brother, Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al Ahmad Al Sabah

« With much sorrow and sorrow we mourn over the Kuwaiti people, Arab and Islamic nations and friendly peoples of the world for the death of the late His Highness Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Emir of the state of Kuwait which moved alongside its Lord, « the royal palace said in a statement, state media said Monday’s announcement did not say when he died or where

Sheikh Sabah underwent surgery in July 2020 for an unspecified medical condition and was transported to the United States for further treatment Before doing so, he temporarily handed over some of his responsibilities to the crown prince, the official KUNA news agency said.

The Sheikh had canceled a visit in early September 2019 with President Donald Trump to the White House after being hospitalized in the US, according to KUNA This follows an unspecified health « setback » in August

« The president wishes his friend, the Emir, a speedy recovery and looks forward to welcoming him back to Washington as soon as he feels better, » the White House said in a statement at the time « The Emir is a respected leader and has been a formidable partner of the United States in meeting the challenges of the region »

On August 18, Kuwait admitted that the emir had suffered a medical setback « This announcement came after Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif visited the emir and wrote on Twitter that he « prayed for the speedy recovery of the emir », without giving more details

The Sheikh was the 15th ruler of the Al Sabah Dynasty, which dates from 1752, and the fifth Emir since Kuwait gained independence from Britain in 1961 Sheikh Sabah served as Foreign Minister from 1963 to 2003

In August 1990, Saddam’s Iraq invaded its strategically located southern neighbor, deposing the Emir – Sheikh Jaber Al Ahmad Al Sabah – and annexed Kuwait Sheikh Jaber fled to Saudi Arabia and put in places government in exile The Sabahs returned to Kuwait in March 1991, two weeks after the end of US- Operation Desert StormÂ

Sheikh Sabah has worked to resolve regional issues through diplomacy, including the unresolved boycott of Qatar by Saudi Arabia, and has hosted donor conferences for Iraq, Syria and other war-torn countries

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Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Kuwait, Emir