Kuwait's emir Sheikh Sabah dies at age 91: palace

Kuwait City,

Kuwait's emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, the architect of the nation's modern foreign policy and mediator in some of the worst crises to grip the Gulf, died on Tuesday at the age of 91.

Sheikh Sabah had earned a reputation as a shrewd, unshakeable leader who helped steer his country through the 1990 Iraqi invasion, crashes in global oil markets and crises in parliament and on the streets.

"With great sadness and sorrow, we mourn... the death of Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Emir of the State of Kuwait," said Sheikh Ali Jarrah Al-Sabah, minister in charge of royal affairs, in a televised statement.

State television had cut its regular programming and switched to a broadcast of Koranic recital before the announcement.

The emir, who had ruled the oil-rich Gulf state since 2006, had been receiving hospital treatment in the United States since July after undergoing surgery in Kuwait City.

No details have been disclosed on the nature of his illness or treatment, and the palace did not say where he died.

In his absence, his half-brother, Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, had been acting ruler.

The 83-year-old Sheikh Nawaf, an elder statesman who has held high office for decades including the defence and interior ministries, is now expected to be appointed the new emir.

Shrewd leader

The 15th leader in a family that has ruled for over 250 years, Sheikh Sabah weathered Kuwait's crises with shrewd judgement and an iron fist.

As the country's top diplomat for nearly four decades, he fostered close ties with the West, most notably the United States which led the international coalition that freed Kuwait from Iraqi occupation in 1991.

He later emerged as mediator between the Gulf Cooperation Council and Iran, and between Saudi Arabia and Qatar following Riyadh's 2017 decision to cut ties with Doha.

In a sign of the respect that the emir commanded across the region's political divides, the UAE, Egypt and Qatar all declared three days of mourning.

"The Arab and Muslim world has lost one of its most valuable leaders," Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said in a tweet.

Bahrain said that Kuwait had lost a "wise leader, an emir of humanity who loved what is good for the people."

Even Yemen's rival sides -- who have yet to reach a political solution to the years-long war -- paid tribute to the emir on Tuesday.

Yemen's Foreign Minister Mohammad al-Hadhrami offered his "sincere, heartfelt, condolences to our brothers in Kuwait" on Twitter.

Meanwhile, Huthi rebel spokesman Mohammed Abdulsalam tweeted that the insurgents "will never forget (the emir's) position in support of peace negotiations... love for Yemen and keenness to extinguish the fire of war".

Despite his advanced years, Sheikh Sabah remained deeply involved in global affairs.

"The loss of Sabah al-Ahmed will be felt deeply, both due to his prominent role as a diplomat and regional mediator and as a unifying figure at home," said Kristin Diwan of the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington.

"Kuwaitis have appreciated his ability to keep the emirate out of regional conflicts and rivalries."

Policy changes

Major policy changes are not expected under his successor, even since Kuwait's Gulf neighbours, the UAE and Bahrain, opted to normalise relations with Israel in a seismic shift.

"Kuwait's leadership will prioritise stability both on the domestic front and in regional politics. The focus will be on the home front," Diwan said.

"There will be a lot to manage domestically as parliamentary elections are expected in the next two months."

Normalisation with Israel is highly unpopular with the Kuwaiti public, and there is significant support for the Arab world's historic position of insisting on a resolution of the Palestinian cause before giving diplomatic concessions to Israel.

"There is no indication a future leadership would want to change Kuwait's posture," Diwan said.

Kuwait's constitution stipulates that the ruler should be a descendant of the nation's founder, Mubarak al-Sabah, but the throne has alternated between the descendants of his sons, Salem and Jaber, for four decades.

However, contestants for the role of Crown Prince include Sheikh Sabah's son and former deputy prime minister and political heavyweight Nasser Sabah al-Ahmed al-Sabah.

Uhuru’s eulogy

Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta sent a condolence to the royal family and the people of Kuwait, describing the emir as a true friend of Kenya and an astute global leader who worked tirelessly for peace in the Middle East.

"His Highness Sheikh Sabah was a global icon for peace especially in the Middle East, where he was involved in several peace processes covering a number of countries in the region," President Kenyatta wrote.

He added that the emir was committed to strengthening Kenya-Kuwait bilateral ties as demonstrated during his visit to the country in 2017.

"Following my visit to Kuwait in 2013, the emir made a reciprocal visit. The historic visits helped strengthen commercial and people-to-people ties between Nairobi and Kuwait City," he said.

Sheikh Sabah leaves behind a strong legacy of public service having served for close to four decades as his country's foreign minister before rising to become Prime Minister in 2003. He became Kuwait's emir in 2006 after the death of Sheikh Jaber Al-Sabah.