The Emir of Kuwait died 

The Emir of Kuwait, Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad al-Sabah, died Tuesday, September 29, announced the royal palace of this rich oil country in the Gulf. He was 91 years old. His half-brother, Crown Prince Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, 83, was quickly appointed the new emir by the government.

The television interrupted its programs and broadcast verses from the Koran before the official announcement of the death of the leader, in the United States, where he had gone at the end of July to continue medical treatment, according to the authorities. However, the latter had given no details about his illness.

After his hospitalization in Kuwait on July 18, the head of state, who came to power in 2006, had transferred "temporarily" part of his powers to the crown prince.

Sheikh Sabah was considered the architect of the foreign policy of modern Kuwait, a great ally of the United States and Saudi Arabia while maintaining good relations with the latter's rival, Iran. According to Kristin Diwan of the Arab Gulf States Institute, based in Washington, his death "will have a profound impact, both because of his role as a diplomat and regional mediator but also as a unifying figure in his country".