Saturday, July 5, 2025
  • Who’sWho Africa AWARDS
  • About Time Africa Magazine
  • Contact Us
Time Africa Magazine
  • Home
  • Magazine
  • WHO’SWHO AWARDS
  • News
  • World News
    • US
    • UAE
    • Europe
    • UK
    • Israel-Hamas
    • Russia-Ukraine
  • Politics
  • Crime
  • Lifestyle
  • Sports
  • Column
  • Interviews
  • Special Report
No Result
View All Result
Time Africa Magazine
  • Home
  • Magazine
  • WHO’SWHO AWARDS
  • News
  • World News
    • US
    • UAE
    • Europe
    • UK
    • Israel-Hamas
    • Russia-Ukraine
  • Politics
  • Crime
  • Lifestyle
  • Sports
  • Column
  • Interviews
  • Special Report
No Result
View All Result
Time Africa Magazine
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • WHO’SWHO AWARDS
  • News
  • Magazine
  • World News

Home » World News » Kuwait’s Ruling Emir Dies at 86

Kuwait’s Ruling Emir Dies at 86

December 16, 2023
in World News
0
540
SHARES
4.5k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES —

Sheikh Nawaf Al Ahmad Al Sabah, Kuwait’s ruling emir, died Saturday after a three-year, low-key reign focused on trying to resolve the tiny, oil-rich nation’s internal political disputes. He was 86.

Kuwait state television broke into programming with Quranic verses just before a somber official made the announcement.

“With great sadness and sorrow, we — the Kuwaiti people, the Arab and Islamic nations, and the friendly peoples of the world — mourn the late His Highness the emir, Sheikh Nawaf Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah, who passed away to his Lord today,” said Sheikh Mohammed Abdullah Al Sabah, the minister of his Emiri court, who read the brief statement.

Authorities gave no cause of death.

ReadAlso

No Content Available

Map of Kuwait.
FILE — Map of Kuwait.

Kuwait’s deputy ruler and his half-brother, Sheikh Meshal Al Ahmad Al Jaber, now 83, had been the world’s oldest crown prince. The state-run KUNA news agency said Sheikh Meshal, a longtime leader in the country’s security services, had been named emir Saturday afternoon and now is one of the Gulf Arab countries’ last octogenarian leaders.

ADVERTISEMENT

In late November, Sheikh Nawaf was rushed to a hospital for an unspecified illness. In the time since, Kuwait had been waiting for news about his health. State-run 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 matter in the Middle Eastern nation bordering Iraq and Saudi Arabia, which has seen internal power struggles behind palace doors.

Those from Sheikh Nawaf’s lifetime, born before oil fully transformed Kuwait from a trading hub into a petrostate, have been fading away with age. That, as well as other Gulf Arab nations putting younger and more assertive rulers in power, has increasingly put more pressure on the Al Sabah to pass power onto the next generation.

In neighboring Saudi Arabia, King Salman, 87, is widely believed to have placed day-to-day rule of his nation in the hands of his 38-year-old son, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Sheikh Nawaf was sworn in as emir in 2020 during the coronavirus pandemic, following the death of his predecessor, the late Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah. The breadth and depth of emotion over the loss of Sheikh Sabah, known for his diplomacy and peacemaking, was felt across the region.

Sheikh Nawaf previously served as Kuwait’s interior and defense minister. His political fortunes were never certain despite being part of the ruling Al Sabah family. As defense minister, Sheikh Nawaf oversaw the rapid collapse of his forces during Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein’s invasion of his country in August 1990. He faced widespread criticism for his decisions during the war.

A letter reportedly sent to the country’s ruler at the time alleged that Sheikh Nawaf ordered tank crews not to fire on the approaching Iraqi forces. The reasoning behind the alleged order remains unclear. Iraq’s battle-hardened forces, after years at war with Iran, easily overwhelmed the country.

A U.S.-led, multinational force later expelled the Iraqis from Kuwait in Operation Desert Storm. The Al Sabah never published the findings of its investigations into the government’s actions around the invasion.

“Our main target is the liberation. After we return, we will repair our own house,” Sheikh Nawaf said in 1991. “You have to reform yourself and correct any previous mistakes.”

A ‘true friend’ of the U.S.

U.S. President Joe Biden said that he was saddened by the death.

“Sheikh Nawaf was a valued partner and true friend of the United States throughout his decades of service,” Biden said in a statement.

“We honor his life and the vision we shared for greater peace and stability across the Middle East,” he said. “We will continue to strengthen the longstanding ties between the governments and people of the United States and Kuwait as we pursue that future together.”

Sheikh Nawaf faced demotion and then didn’t hold a Cabinet-level position for about a decade afterward, serving as a deputy chief of the country’s National Guard. Even on his return, analysts viewed him as not particularly active in government, though his low-key approach later appealed to some Kuwaitis who ultimately moved on from his wartime performance.

Sheikh Nawaf was largely an uncontroversial choice for emir, though his advancing age led analysts to suggest his tenure would be short. It was — he had the third-shortest tenure of any emir since the Al Sabah ruled Kuwait beginning in 1752.

Focused on issues at home

During his term, he had been focused on domestic issues as the nation struggled through political disputes — including the overhaul of Kuwait’s welfare system — which prevented the sheikhdom from taking on debt. That’s left it with little in its coffers to pay bloated public sector salaries, despite generating immense wealth from its oil reserves.

Meanwhile, the Gulf Cooperation Council states, including Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, restored ties after years of a boycott of Doha, easing regional tensions and allowing Sheikh Nawaf to focus on issues at home.

Kuwait, a nation home to about 4.2 million people which is slightly smaller than the U.S. state of New Jersey, has the world’s sixth-largest known oil reserves.

It has been a staunch U.S. ally since the 1991 Gulf War. Kuwait hosts around 13,500 American troops in the country, as well as the forward headquarters of the U.S. Army in the Middle East.

Tags: Kuwait'sSheikh Nawaf Al Ahmad Al Sabah
ADVERTISEMENT
Previous Post

There is a mafia in Nigeria’s Supreme Court that makes it the worst in the world — Agbakoba alleges

Next Post

Vatican: Having child out of wedlock does not bar access to sacraments

You MayAlso Like

Featured

The Sheikh Who Conquered Soccer and Coddles Warlords

July 4, 2025
Featured

Trump Plans to Deport Elon Musk and Zohran Mamdani

July 4, 2025
UK

Major fire shuts part of London Underground causing commuter chaos

July 4, 2025
UK

Has Kemi Badenoch finally shown the killer instinct to save her as Tory leader?

July 4, 2025
World News

Almost 400 human corpses found piled high in mysterious house of horrors

July 4, 2025
World News

Ugandan military helicopter crashes at Somalia’s Mogadishu airport

July 4, 2025
Next Post
Maryknoll Father John Siyumbu distributes Communion during his ordination to the priesthood at the Maryknoll Society Center in Maryknoll, N.Y., June 3, 2022. Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, celebrated the ordination Mass. Father Siyumbu, who is from Bungoma, Kenya, is the first seminarian from East Africa to be ordained a Maryknoll priest. He will serve in Latin America. (OSV News photo/Gregory A. Shemitz)

Vatican: Having child out of wedlock does not bar access to sacraments

Cardinal Angelo Becciu

Holy Crime: Cardinal Jailed Over Major Vatican Financial Crimes

Discussion about this post

Why Igbos Must Stop Storing Corpses in Mortuaries — Ogilisi Igbo Speaks Out

Almost 400 human corpses found piled high in mysterious house of horrors

Senator Natasha: Nigeria’s Senate President Akpabio Brought To Heel By Legal Checks

Are Igbos Cursed Or The Architects Of Their Own Predicament?

Will Senate President Akpabio Comply with the Court Order and Reinstate Akpoti-Uduaghan?

Tinubu’s end game on Fubara

  • British government apologizes to Peter Obi, as hired impostors, master manipulators on rampage abroad

    1238 shares
    Share 495 Tweet 310
  • Maids trafficked and sold to wealthy Saudis on black market

    1064 shares
    Share 426 Tweet 266
  • Flight Attendant Sees Late Husband On Plane

    967 shares
    Share 387 Tweet 242
  • ‘Céline Dion Dead 2023’: Singer killed By Internet Death Hoax

    902 shares
    Share 360 Tweet 225
  • Crisis echoes, fears grow in Amechi Awkunanaw in Enugu State

    735 shares
    Share 294 Tweet 184
  • Trending
  • Comments
  • Latest

British government apologizes to Peter Obi, as hired impostors, master manipulators on rampage abroad

April 13, 2023

Maids trafficked and sold to wealthy Saudis on black market

December 27, 2022
Flight Attendant Sees Late Husband On Plane

Flight Attendant Sees Late Husband On Plane

September 22, 2023
‘Céline Dion Dead 2023’: Singer killed By Internet Death Hoax

‘Céline Dion Dead 2023’: Singer killed By Internet Death Hoax

March 21, 2023
Chief Mrs Ebelechukwu, wife of Willie Obiano, former governor of Anambra state

NIGERIA: No, wife of Biafran warlord, Bianca Ojukwu lied – Ebele Obiano:

0

SOUTH AFRICA: TO LEAVE OR NOT TO LEAVE?

0
kelechi iheanacho

TOP SCORER: IHEANACHA

0
Goodluck Ebele Jonathan

WHAT CAN’TBE TAKEN AWAY FROM JONATHAN

0

OPINION |  Senate Rebels Against Court in Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan Case: A Constitutional Timebomb

July 5, 2025

Diogo Jota’s distraught family joined by footballing stars for heart-wrenching funeral days after car crash

July 5, 2025

President Tinubu Arrives In Rio De Janeiro For BRICS Meeting

July 5, 2025

British tourist among two women killed by elephant in Zambian national park 

July 5, 2025

ABOUT US

Time Africa Magazine

TIME AFRICA MAGAZINE is an African Magazine with a culture of excellence; a magazine without peer. Nearly a third of its readers hold advanced degrees and include novelists, … READ MORE >>

SECTIONS

  • Aviation
  • Column
  • Crime
  • Europe
  • Featured
  • Gallery
  • Health
  • Interviews
  • Israel-Hamas
  • Lifestyle
  • Magazine
  • Middle-East
  • News
  • Politics
  • Press Release
  • Russia-Ukraine
  • Science
  • Special Report
  • Sports
  • TV/Radio
  • UAE
  • UK
  • US
  • World News

Useful Links

  • AllAfrica
  • Channel Africa
  • El Khabar
  • The Guardian
  • Cairo Live
  • Le Republicain
  • Magazine: 9771144975608
  • Subscribe to TIME AFRICA biweekly news magazine

    Enjoy handpicked stories from around African continent,
    delivered anywhere in the world

    Subscribe

    • About Time Africa Magazine
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact Us
    • WHO’SWHO AWARDS

    © 2025 Time Africa Magazine - All Right Reserved. Time Africa is a trademark of Times Associates, registered in the U.S, & Nigeria. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Service.

    No Result
    View All Result
    • WHO’SWHO AWARDS
    • Politics
    • Column
    • Interviews
    • Gallery
    • Lifestyle
    • Special Report
    • Sports
    • TV/Radio
    • Aviation
    • Health
    • Science
    • World News

    © 2025 Time Africa Magazine - All Right Reserved. Time Africa is a trademark of Times Associates, registered in the U.S, & Nigeria. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Service.

    This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.