Dubai’s Sheikh Khalifa dies aged 73

The President of the UAE, Sheikh Khalifa, has died. The news was announced on Friday afternoon by state news agency Wam.

The Ministry of Presidential Affairs announced that there will be 40 days of official mourning with flags at half mast, and three days closure of ministries and official entities at the federal and local levels, and the private sector.

In a statement published by Wam, the Ministry of Presidential Affairs expressed its condolences to the people of the UAE, Arab and Islamic nations and the world on the death of the leader of the nation, His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the President of the country.

Sheikh Mohamed Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, shared a message online remembering the UAE President.

“To God we belong and to Him we shall return,” Sheikh Mohamed wrote.

“The UAE lost its righteous son, the leader of the “empowerment stage” and the trustee of its blessed journey.

“His stances, achievements, wisdom, giving, and initiatives are in every corner of the country.

“Khalifa bin Zayed, my brother, my mentor, and my teacher, may God have mercy on you with his vast mercy and grant you his satisfaction and paradise.”

Leaders from the region and around the world have offered their condolences.

Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan is the president of the United Arab Emirates, the Emir of Abu Dhabi and the supreme commander of the United Arab Emirates Armed Forces since 2004. He has also served as the chairman of the Supreme Petroleum Council since the late 1980s.

Sheikh Khalifa was the Gulf country’s second president, serving since 2004. He is credited with helping to bring the UAE, a small desert sheikhdom of seven emirates, to global prominence and leading the country through turbulent times during the 2008 financial crisis.

Additional information sourced from The National News of Dubai