Kuwait’s ruler dies at 86 after brief reign

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Kuwait’s emir, Sheikh Nawaf al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah, has died aged 86, the state news agency reported on Saturday.

Sheikh Nawaf had been admitted to hospital for an emergency health problem in late November, where his condition had been described as stable.

His three-year rule over Kuwait, a US ally in the Gulf, was blighted by ill health. His 83-year-old half brother, the crown prince Sheikh Mishal al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah who has handled day-to-day affairs for the past two years, was announced as the next emir. A crown prince will be named at a later date.

Sheikh Nawaf’s brief tenure still managed to deliver policies that seek to foster greater political cohesion despite continuous parliamentary turmoil.

In a post on X on Sunday, US defence secretary Lloyd Austin said: “I am deeply saddened to learn of the passing of the Emir of Kuwait, his Highness Sheikh Nawaf. We will not forget his courage and leadership. I extend my deepest condolences to the people of Kuwait and Sheikh Nawaf’s family.”

Austin and regional leaders, including Jordan’s King Abdullah and Qatari emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, were expected to arrive in Kuwait to pay their respects and meet the country’s new ruler.

“He was low profile and domestic focused — he managed a political reset with the opposition through key concessions to legislature and a series of amnesties with jailed and exiled critics,” said Bader al-Saif, an assistant professor of history at Kuwait University.

“He was also known for his anti-corruption stance, including cases against members of his own ruling Al-Sabah family.”

Among Gulf rulers, Sheikh Nawaf was known as a straightforward and humble man who avoided overt displays of wealth.

Oil-rich Kuwait, the most democratic state among the Gulf autocracies, has been beset by political battles between the elected parliament and the government, which is controlled by the emir.

The ensuing gridlock has limited the country’s ability to introduce economic reforms to wean itself off dependence on oil exports.

Sheikh Nawaf, who was buried on Sunday, had been emir of the Gulf state since his half-brother, Sheikh Sabah, died in 2020 in a US hospital after a long illness, aged 91. Sheikh Sabah, a widely respected regional diplomat, had ruled Kuwait for 14 years and been foreign minister for four decades before becoming emir.

Kuwait’s line of ageing rulers contrasts with the Gulf’s younger generation of leaders, such as Saudi Arabia’s Mohammed bin Salman, who — unbound by parliamentary scrutiny — are pushing ahead with ambitious diversification plans and social reforms.