Kuwait’s emir, Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah, the architect of the nation’s modern foreign policy and King of the oil- rich country, has died at the age of 91.

The monarch died on Tuesday at the Mayo clinic in Rochester, New York, where he had been recovering after surgery in July. A U.S. Air Force C-17 flying hospital then transported Sheikh Sabah from Kuwait to Rochester, Minnesota, home of the flagship campus of the Mayo Clinic — an extraordinary gesture by the American government for a foreign head of state. The Mayo Clinic did not immediately respond to requests for comment and the Emir kicked the bucket. His body was being flown to Kuwait for burial.

His half-brother, Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf al-Ahmad al-Sabah, is alleged to be sworn in as his successor late on Wednesday.

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Sabah had ruled  since 2006 and and the royal family has steered the country for about 4 decades.

“With the utmost sadness and grief for the Kuwaiti people, the Islamic and Arab world and people of friendly nations, the Amiri Diwan [the royal palace] mourns the death of Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah, the emir of Kuwait,” his office said.

The world's highest currency state has set aside 40 days to mourn the King starting from tomorrow Wednesday 30th September 2020 and has rendered all government offices close for 3 days

 A country of 4.2 million people, is a strategically located country wedged between Saudi Arabia and Iraq at the mouth of the oil-rich Gulf. 

Sheikh Sabah's life spanned two very different Kuwaits. He was born June 16, 1929, just as the country's pearl-diving industry would collapse. Within the decade, Kuwait would strike oil. Engineers would eventually confirm that the tiny country, slightly smaller than the U.S. state of New Jersey, had the world's sixth-largest known oil reserves.

Sheikh Sabah became Kuwait's foreign minister in 1963 after holding a number of other governmental posts. He would remain in that position for four decades, making him one of the world's longest-serving foreign ministers.

His country's greatest crisis came in 1990, when Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait and occupied the nation for seven months. Fleeing with other Kuwaiti officials to neighboring Saudi Arabia, Sheikh Sabah collapsed and lost consciousness at one particularly stormy meeting of Arab leaders.

On February 24, 1991, U.S. troops and their allies stormed into Kuwait. It ended 100 hours later. America suffered only 148 combat deaths during the whole campaign, while over 20,000 Iraqi soldiers were killed.

Even before the U.S. entered Kuwait, Sheikh Sabah and others began suggesting a permanent American presence in the region might provide them protection from Iraq and others.

“One learns from the past and learns about it for the future,” Sheikh Sabah reportedly said. “One has to consider arrangements that would make not only my country stable but make the whole area stable.” Today, Kuwait hosts some 13,500 American troops, many at Camp Arifjan south of Kuwait City, which is also home to the forward command of U.S.A ArmyCentral. Before doing so, he temporarily handed over some of his responsibilities to the crown prince, the state-run KUNA, news agency said.

The sheikh had canceled a visit in early September 2019 with President Donald Trump at the White House after being hospitalized in the U.S., according to KUNA. This followed an unspecified health "setback" in August.

 The Emir is a well-respected leader and has been a tremendous partner of the United States in tackling challenges in the region.

May his soul rest in peace