by Chinwe okafor
The King of Saudi Arabia has died. The Royal officials announced he has been in the hospital on admission for weeks after suffering bouts of ill health.
Abdullah bin Abdulaziz was the fifth of his brothers to take the throne and become king in 2005.
King Abdullah, who was said to be aged about 90, had been suffering from a lung infection.
Following his demise, a statement early on Friday has been issued out saying his 79-year-old half brother, Salman bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud, had become king.
The official announcement from the Royal Court came as little surprise, but this is still a historic and sad moment for this deeply conservative Muslim country, home to the two holiest sites in Islam, at Mecca and Medina, and the world’s biggest oil exporter and producer.
As king he pushed through cautious reforms, including giving women a greater public role, against opposition from religious conservatives.
King Salman assumes the throne at a difficult time for Saudi Arabia. Having defeated an Islamist insurgency 10 years ago, the country now finds itself sandwiched between the growing threats from al-Qaeda in Yemen to the south and Islamic State to the north. Both groups have their sympathisers inside Saudi Arabia.
This is how The New York Times described the new king:
The new king of Saudi Arabia, Salman bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud, has spent more than a half-century among the top echelons of one of the world’s most powerful families and is known to serve as mediator and peacekeeper between its often competing factions.
Best known for overseeing the development of the Saudi capital, Riyadh, during his nearly 50 years as its governor, he became the country’s defense minister in 2011 as a series of uprisings were shaking Arab leaders who had long been Saudi allies.
While Salman is popular inside the kingdom and in the ruling family, he ascended the throne after the death of his brother Abdullah on Friday amid increasing strains on the kingdom.
Leave a reply