In a somber announcement on Saturday, the Amiri Diwan of Kuwait confirmed the demise of the nation's leader, Sheikh Nawaf Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah, at the age of 86.
Expressing profound grief, Sheikh Mohammed Abdullah Al Sabah, the minister of his Emiri court, conveyed, “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.”
Kuwait's state TV preempted its regular programming, devoting airtime to Quranic verses as a poignant signal of a death within the royal family.
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Late November witnessed Sheikh Nawaf's hospitalization due to an unspecified illness. Earlier reports from state-run news indicated his travel to the United States in March 2021 for undisclosed medical examinations.
Following the 2020 demise of his predecessor, Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah, Sheikh Nawaf assumed the role of Emir. The profound impact of Sheikh Sabah's passing reverberated throughout the region, given his reputation for diplomatic finesse and contributions to peacemaking.
Born in 1937, Sheikh Nawaf was the fifth son of Sheikh Ahmad al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Kuwait's ruler from 1921 to 1950. Initiating his political journey at 25, he served as the governor of Hawalli province until 1978 when he embarked on a decade-long tenure as the interior minister.
The world's oldest crown prince, 83-year-old Sheikh Meshal Al Ahmad Al Jaber, stands as the presumptive successor to govern Kuwait. As the nation contemplates the loss of Sheikh Nawaf, it anticipates the transition to new leadership under Sheikh Meshal's potential ascension.