Kuwait monarch Sheikh Sabah Al-Sabah dies at 91

CNN) - The Emir of Kuwait, Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, has died at the age of 91 after ruling the Gulf state for 14 years, officials announced Tuesday. 

Sabah has battled health issues in recent years and is widely respected for working to mediate conflict in the region. When a political rift led to an embargo of Qatar by Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt, Sabah tried unsuccessfuly to broker a resolution. 

He also led donor conferences for Syria that led to pledges of hundreds of millions of dollars. 

"With sincere sadness, Kuwait, its people, the people of the Arab and Muslim world, and the people of the world offer their condolences for the death of Emir Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, may God forgive him," said Minister of Royal Court Affairs Sheikh Ali Jarrah Al-Sabah on state TV. 

Sabah was born in 1929 around the time of the formation of the modern Kuwaiti state, and is a member of the country's royal family. For 40 years, he served as foreign minister, later becoming prime minister before he was named the country's monarch. 
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