Kuwait buries late Emir Sheikh Nawaf

By Ibrahim Al-Khazen

KUWAIT CITY (AA) - Kuwait bid farewell on Sunday to its late Emir Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, who passed away at the age of 86 on Saturday following an emergency health crisis.

The late emir was buried in the Sulaibikhat Cemetery in Kuwait City in a ceremony limited to close relatives, according to the official news agency KUNA.

The country’s new ruler, Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, 83, led the funeral prayers held for Sheikh Nawaf at the Bilal ibn Rabah Mosque in Kuwait City, the capital, the agency added.

The Kuwaiti government declared 40 days of mourning over the emir’s demise, with state offices also closed for three days.

The Arab world bid farewell to Sheikh Nawaf on Saturday with statements of obituary and condolences while declaring mourning and holding absentee prayers in several countries as Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Qatar and the UAE.

* Writing by Ikram Kouachi