Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah ( ar, الشيخ صباح الأحمد الجابر الصباح, translit=ash-Shaykh Sabāh al-ʾAḥmad al-Jābir aṣ-Ṣabāḥ; 16 June 192929 September 2020) was the
Emir of Kuwait and
Commander of the
Kuwait Military Forces from 29 January 2006 until his death in 2020.
He was the fourth son of Sheikh
Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah
Sheikh Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah (1885 – 29 January 1950) ( ar, الشيخ أحمد الجابر الصباح) was the tenth ruler of the Sheikhdom of Kuwait from 29 March 1921 until his death on 29 January 1950.
Biography
Ahmad was the son of ...
.
Early life and early career
Al-Sabah was born on 16 June 1929. He received his primary education at Al Mubarakya School in the 1930s and completed his education under tutors. He was the half-brother of the previous Emir of Kuwait,
Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, who appointed Sabah as Prime Minister in July 2003, replacing the Crown Prince of Kuwait, Sheikh
Saad Al-Salim Al-Sabah
Sheikh Saad Al-Abdullah Al-Salim Al-Sabah ( ar, سعد العبد الله السالم الصباح, translit=Saʿad al-ʿAbdullāh as-Sālim as-Sabāh) (1930 – 13 May 2008) was the Emir of Kuwait and Commander of the Kuwait Military Force ...
. His brother was killed when
Royal Air Maroc Flight 630 was intentionally crashed by its pilot in 1994. Before becoming Emir of Kuwait, Sabah was the
foreign minister from 1963 to 2003, making him the longest-serving foreign minister in the world at the time of leaving office, and the second longest-serving so far. As foreign minister, Sabah restored Kuwaiti international relations after the
Gulf War. He was also first deputy prime minister while serving as foreign minister.
He was acting
minister of finance
A finance minister is an executive or cabinet position in charge of one or more of government finances, economic policy and financial regulation.
A finance minister's portfolio has a large variety of names around the world, such as "treasury", ...
from 1965 to 1967.
He was prime minister and ''de facto'' ruler from 2003 to 2006, due to Jaber III's ill health.
Reign
Succession
On 15 January 2006, Emir Jaber, died, making
Sheikh Saad, his
Crown Prince
A crown prince or hereditary prince is the heir apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. The female form of the title is crown princess, which may refer either to an heiress apparent or, especially in earlier times, to the wif ...
and a member of the
Salim branch of the ruling family, the new Emir. With Saad's accession, Sabah was likely to become the new Crown Prince, retaining his function of Prime Minister. Saad was ill with a form of dementia, some reports suggested that he suffered from
Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease that usually starts slowly and progressively worsens. It is the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in remembering recent events. As ...
or some other debilitating disease; it was generally agreed that he was unable to speak at any length. As there was concern Saad would not be able to take the constitutionally required oath of office, the
Speaker of the National Assembly Jassem Al-Kharafi
Jassem Al-Kharafi, ( ar, جاسم محمد عبدالمحسن الخرافي, 1940 – May 21, 2015) was a Kuwaiti oligarch who was the speaker of the Kuwaiti National Assembly from 1999 to 2011. In his capacity as Speaker in 2006, Al-Kharafi p ...
coordinated with members of the National Assembly on a transfer of power to the Prime Minister, Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad.
After a power struggle within the ruling family, Saad agreed to abdicate as Emir of Kuwait on 23 January 2006 due to illness. The ruling family then conferred and Sabah became the new Emir. On 24 January 2006, the
National Assembly of Kuwait
The National Assembly ( ar, مجلس الأمة) is the unicameral legislature of Kuwait. The National Assembly meets in Kuwait City. Political parties are illegal in Kuwait, candidates run as independents. The National Assembly is made up of 50 ...
voted Saad out of office, moments before an official letter of abdication was received. The
Cabinet of Kuwait
The Cabinet of Kuwait is the chief executive body of the State of Kuwait. The 42nd cabinet in the history of Kuwait was appointed on 16 October 2022. On 5 October 2022, Amir of Kuwait His Highness Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah assigned ...
nominated Sabah as Emir. He was sworn in on 29 January 2006 with the National Assembly's approval, ending that crisis.
Dissolution of the National Assembly
In March 2016, Sabah suspended the National Assembly to keep those in opposition from questioning the Kuwaiti prime minister over the government's actions.
Sabah dissolved the National Assembly on 19 March 2008 and called for early elections on 17 May 2008, after the cabinet resigned in the week of 17 March 2008 following a power struggle with the government.
A struggle broke out between the government and parliament in 2012. He dissolved the parliament.
Foreign relations
Sabah was a regional and international mediator due in part to his place in the
Gulf Cooperation Council's leadership order and his 40 years of service as Foreign Minister and Prime Minister.
Under his leadership, Kuwait acted as a go-between for
Pakistan and
Bangladesh
Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...
,
Turkey and
Bulgaria
Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Maced ...
, the
Palestinian Authority and
Jordan, factions in the civil war in Lebanon, and the
Gulf States and
Iran.
In 2016 Sabah hosted several
United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmonizi ...
sponsored meetings of leaders from the warring factions in the
Yemeni Civil War.
Sabah established Kuwait as the key mediator in the
Qatar diplomatic crisis
The Qatar diplomatic crisis was a diplomatic incident in the Middle East that began on 5 June 2017 when Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt severed diplomatic relations with Qatar and banned Qatar-registered planes and ships ...
that began in 2017, meeting with Saudi and Emirati officials before leaving for
Doha to discuss the rift with Qatari leaders.
His ongoing efforts were publicly supported by Qatar and other interested parties from the region as well as the U.S., UK, France, and Germany.
At the beginning of September 2017, Sabah discussed the situation with top officials in
Washington, D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, Na ...
, including U.S. President
Donald Trump, who "hailed his efforts" to mediate and "applauded Kuwait's 'critical contributions to regional stability'". There were some questions from the boycotting countries about any preconditions. French President
Emmanuel Macron stated French support for Sabah's mediation efforts after a meeting in Paris on 15 September 2017, reiterating statements of support for the initiative. Trump and Sabah had a third meeting at the
White House on 5 September 2018.
Sabah is credited with playing a role in the creation of the Movement for the National Liberation of Palestine, or Fatah, in October 1959 in Kuwait City. Several of the early leaders of Fatah, and later the Palestine Liberation Organization, also formed in Kuwait in 1964, were close to Sabah, like
Khaled al-Hassan
Humanitarianism
Former U.S. President
Jimmy Carter called Sabah a "global humanitarian leader", saying, "His support of disaster relief, peace efforts and advancing public health are an inspiration. Other world leaders can learn from the wise example set by my friend, His Highness the Emir."
According to the 2014 Middle East
Coutts
Coutts & Co. is a London-headquartered private bank and wealth manager. Founded in 1692, it is the eighth oldest bank in the world. Today, Coutts forms part of NatWest Group's wealth management division. In the Channel Islands and the Isle o ...
Report, Sabah provided the largest individual donation in 2013 among GCC members in support of
Syrian refugees in neighboring countries, $300 million. In 2014,
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
Ban Ki-moon (; ; born 13 June 1944) is a South Korean politician and diplomat who served as the eighth secretary-general of the United Nations between 2007 and 2016. Prior to his appointment as secretary-general, Ban was his country's Minister ...
cited Sabah as a humanitarian leader globally and presented him with a Humanitarian Award. Ban said, "It gives me great pleasure and honour to be here today to recognize the leadership of His Highness Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Jaber al Sabah, Emir of Kuwait. This is a great humanitarian day. We are sitting together with a great humanitarian leader of our world". In 2015, Sabah pledged $500 million toward easing the Syrian humanitarian crisis at a UN Summit convened in Kuwait.
In August 2017, UN Secretary-General
António Guterres
António Manuel de Oliveira Guterres ( , ; born 30 April 1949) is a Portuguese politician and diplomat. Since 2017, he has served as secretary-general of the United Nations, the ninth person to hold this title. A member of the Portuguese Soci ...
expressed gratitude for Kuwait's leadership in humanitarian action, adding, "But it's not only the humanitarian leadership of Kuwait, it's the wisdom, the dialogue, the promotion of understanding that Kuwait has shown in relation to all conflicts in the region. Kuwait has no agenda. The agenda of Kuwait is peace; is understanding." Guterres further noted the positive role Sabah played in the GCC crisis and recalled that when he was
High Commissioner for Refugees
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is a United Nations agency mandated to aid and protect refugees, forcibly displaced communities, and stateless people, and to assist in their voluntary repatriation, local integratio ...
(June 2005 to December 2015) Sabah presided over the three conferences to mobilize the international community to support the Syrian people.
Jailing of critics, including Members of Parliament
Dozens of protesters in Kuwait were arrested for criticizing Al-Sabah. In 2010, the
U.S. State Department said it had concerns about the case of Kuwaiti blogger and journalist Mohammad Abdul-Kader al-Jassem who was on trial for allegedly criticizing the ruling al-Sabah family and accusing Prime Minister
Nasser Al-Sabah
Nasser Al-Mohammed Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah ( ar, الشيخ ناصر المحمد الأحمد الجابر الصباح, ash-Shaykh Nāṣir Muḥammad al-ʾAḥmad al-Jābir aṣ-Ṣabāḥ, born 22 December 1940) is a Kuwaiti politician who ...
of mismanagement and corruption, and faced up to 18 years in prison if convicted.
He was detained after a complaint against him was issued by the office of Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah.
In January 2013, Ayad Al-Hirbi was sentenced to two years in prison for tweeting: "We call on the Kuwaiti government to abide by international agreements it has signed respecting human rights. As a nation, Kuwait must work toward broadening freedoms, not limiting them."
Al-Sabah jailed several members of parliament for criticizing him publicly. In February 2013, a Kuwaiti court sentenced three former MPs to three years in prison with
hard labor for insulting Sabah, and sentenced another man to five years in prison for insulting Sabah.
At the time, over 300 people were detained in Kuwait on charges of insulting him.
In 2016, a Kuwaiti court sentenced 16 people to two years in prison after they were found re-circulating a 2012 speech by opposition leader
Musallam Al-Barrak
Musallam Al-Barrak ( ar, مسلم محمد البراك) is a Kuwaiti politician. He was a member of the Kuwaiti National Assembly, representing the fourth district.
Background
Born on January 30, 1956, Al-Barrak studied geography and worked in ...
which criticised Al Sabah.
Al-Barrak, a former MP, was sentenced to two years in prison in 2015.
Death and succession
After months of hospitalization in the
Mayo Clinic Hospital in
Rochester, Minnesota, the United States, Sheikh Sabah died on 29 September 2020 at the age of 91 due to long-term health issues. The Kuwaiti government declared
40 days of mourning. Sabah's half-brother, the crown prince of Kuwait, Sheikh
Nawaf Nawaf (Arabic: نواف) is an Arabic name for males. People named Nawaf include:
* Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Emir of Kuwait
* Nawaf Salam
Nawaf Salam ( ar, نواف سلام; born 15 December 1953) is a Lebanese diplomat, jurist, and ...
, was announced as the Emir of Kuwait. Al-Sabah was buried at
Sulaibikhat Cemetery alongside his family. After Sabah death, many Arab countries declared mourning periods.
Jordan announced forty days of national mourning.
Qatar,
Bahrain
Bahrain ( ; ; ar, البحرين, al-Bahrayn, locally ), officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, ' is an island country in Western Asia. It is situated on the Persian Gulf, and comprises a small archipelago made up of 50 natural islands and an a ...
,
Oman
Oman ( ; ar, عُمَان ' ), officially the Sultanate of Oman ( ar, سلْطنةُ عُمان ), is an Arabian country located in southwestern Asia. It is situated on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula, and spans the mouth of t ...
,
Egypt,
Libya,
United Arab Emirates,
Lebanon,
State of Palestine
Palestine ( ar, فلسطين, Filasṭīn), officially the State of Palestine ( ar, دولة فلسطين, Dawlat Filasṭīn, label=none), is a state located in Western Asia. Officially governed by the Palestine Liberation Organization (P ...
and
Mauritania all declared three-day mourning periods.
Djibouti
Djibouti, ar, جيبوتي ', french: link=no, Djibouti, so, Jabuuti officially the Republic of Djibouti, is a country in the Horn of Africa, bordered by Somalia to the south, Ethiopia to the southwest, Eritrea in the north, and the Red S ...
declared two days of mourning.
India,
Iraq,
Bangladesh
Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...
and
Cuba declared one day of mourning.
Honors and awards
Foreign honors and awards
* : Honorary Citizen of
Tirana,
Albania
Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares la ...
(12 April 2008)
* : Grand Cordon of the
Skanderbeg's Order (decorated by President of Albania
on 27 May 2012)
* :
Heydar Aliyev Order
Heydar Aliyev Order ( az, "Heydər Əliyev" ordeni) is the supreme order of Azerbaijan. The order was ratified by legislation of Azerbaijan Republic by the Decree No. 896-IIQ on 22 April 2005. The Heydar Aliyev Order is given to the citizens of t ...
(14 June 2009)
* : Knight Grand Cross of the
Grand Order of King Tomislav
The Grand Order of King Tomislav ( hr, Velered kralja Tomislava), or officially the Grand Order of King Tomislav with Sash and Great Morning Star (''Velered kralja Tomislava s lentom i Velikom Danicom''), is the highest state order of Croatia. It ...
(5 February 2017)
* : Knight Grand Cross with Collar of the
Order of Merit of the Italian Republic (26 April 2010)
* : Collar of the
Order of the Aztec Eagle
The Mexican Order of the Aztec Eagle ( es, Orden Mexicana del Águila Azteca) forms part of the Mexican Honours System and is the highest Mexican order awarded to foreigners in the country.
History
It was created by decree on December 29, 19 ...
(20 January 2016)
* : Collar of the
Order of Al-Said (20 February 2017)
*
Philippines:
Order of Lakandula
The Order of Lakandula ( fil, Orden ni Lakandula) is one of the highest civilian orders of the Philippines, established on September 19, 2003. It is awarded for political and civic merit and in memory of King Lakandula’s dedication to the res ...
, Rank of Supremo (23 March 2012)
* : Collar of the
Order of Civil Merit (23 May 2008)
* : Collar of the
Order of the State of Republic of Turkey
The Order of the State of Republic of Turkey ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti Devlet Nişanı) is the highest state order awarded to foreign nationals by the President of the Republic of Turkey.
The Order of the State is conferred by the President, ...
(21 March 2017)
* : Recipient of the
Order of Zayed
The Order of Zayed ( ar, وسام زايد) is the United Arab Emirates' highest civil decoration named after the first president of the UAE, Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan
Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan ( ar, زَايِد بِن سُلْط� ...
(13 March 2006)
* : Honorary Knight Grand Cross of the
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate medieval ceremony for appointing a knight, which involved bathing (as a symbol of purification) as one ...
(27 November 2012)
* :
Legion of Merit, Chief Commander Degree (17 September 2020).
* : United Nations Humanitarian Leadership (9 September 2014)
*
International Organization for Migration
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) is a United Nations agency that provides services and advice concerning migration to governments and migrants, including internally displaced persons, refugees, and migrant workers.
The IOM wa ...
:
IOM Humanitarian Medal (24 November 2014)
See also
*
Flag of Kuwait
The flag of Kuwait ( ar, علم الكويت) was adopted on September 7, 1961, and officially hoisted November 24, 1961. Before 1961, the flag of Kuwait was red and white, like those of other Persian Gulf states at the time, with the field bein ...
References
External links
Al-Diwan Al-Emiri– the official website of the office of the Emir
*
, -
{{Authority control
1929 births
2020 deaths
House of Al-Sabah
Foreign ministers of Kuwait
Muslim monarchs
Prime Ministers of Kuwait
Rulers of Kuwait
Finance ministers of Kuwait
Collars of the Order of Civil Merit
Extraordinary Grades of the Order of Merit (Lebanon)
Grand Cordons of the National Order of the Cedar
Grand Croix of the Légion d'honneur
Knights Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic
Honorary Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath
Recipients of the Heydar Aliyev Order
Grand Crosses Special Class of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
Recipients of the Order of Merit (Ukraine), 1st class
Recipients of the Order of the Liberator General San Martin
Recipients of the Order of Skanderbeg (1990–)
Recipients of the Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise, 1st class
Grand Collars of the Order of Lakandula