Source: edition.cnn.com/By Ruba Alhenawi, CNN
The Emir of Kuwait, Sheikh Nawaf al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah, has died at age 86 after ruling the Gulf state for three years.
Officials announced his death on Saturday, according to state news agency KUNA.
Sheikh Nawaf al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah had been admitted to hospital in November following an emergency health issue, according to the state news agency. The 86-year-old’s condition was stable at the time, KUNA reported.
The Emir was sworn in September 2020, following the death of Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, who died at the age of 91 after ruling the Gulf state for 14 years.
Al-Sabah’s loss was felt across the Middle East, and he was widely respected for mediating conflict in the volatile region.
Crown Prince Sheikh Meshal al-Ahmad al-Sabah, 83, has been selected as the Emir’s successor, according to Reuters. Al-Sabah has been Kuwait’s de facto ruler since 2021 amid the Emir’s ailing health.
Kuwait, a Gulf Arab nation home to over 4.2 million people, has the world’s sixth-largest oil reserves.