{"id":2000119132,"date":"2026-07-12T13:31:58","date_gmt":"2026-07-12T11:31:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/?p=2000119132"},"modified":"2026-07-12T13:32:00","modified_gmt":"2026-07-12T11:32:00","slug":"a-visionary-leader-president-kagame-mourns-qatars-former-emir-sheikh-hamad","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/a-visionary-leader-president-kagame-mourns-qatars-former-emir-sheikh-hamad\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cA visionary leader\u201d: President Kagame mourns Qatar\u2019s former Emir Sheikh Hamad"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In a message shared on Sunday following the announcement of Sheikh Hamad\u2019s passing, President Kagame conveyed his sympathies to Qatar\u2019s current Emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, his family, and the people of Qatar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy deepest condolences to my brother, His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, his family and the people of Qatar on the passing of His Highness the Father Amir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani,\u201d Kagame wrote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

President Kagame praised Sheikh Hamad\u2019s contribution to Qatar\u2019s development, saying he would be remembered for his leadership and efforts to strengthen cooperation among nations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHis Highness Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani will be remembered as a visionary leader who transformed Qatar into the remarkable nation it is today. His legacy of service to his people and commitment to friendship and cooperation among nations will endure for generations,\u201d Kagame said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that Rwanda stands in solidarity with Qatar during the period of mourning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAt this difficult time, the people of Rwanda and I stand with His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad and our Qatari brothers and sisters,\u201d Kagame said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, who died at the age of 74, ruled Qatar from 1995 until he handed power to his son, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, in 2013.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He is widely credited with shaping modern Qatar through a period of rapid economic growth, global expansion and major investments that elevated the country\u2019s international influence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During his reign, Qatar emerged as a major player in global energy, diplomacy, and investment, while securing the rights to host major international events, including the 2022 FIFA World Cup.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Leaders from across the world have paid tribute to the former Emir, praising his role in Qatar\u2019s transformation. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi also described Sheikh Hamad as a \u201cvisionary leader who guided Qatar to great levels of development and prosperity,\u201d while leaders from the Arab world expressed condolences to Qatar\u2019s leadership and people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Qatari government announced Sheikh Hamad\u2019s death through the Amiri Diwan, saying the nation had suffered a \u201cgreat loss\u201d with the passing of the former Emir.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
In a message shared on Sunday following the announcement of Sheikh Hamad\u2019s passing, President Kagame conveyed his sympathies to Qatar\u2019s current Emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, his family, and the people of Qatar.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

President Paul Kagame has expressed his condolences to Qatar following the death of former Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, describing him as a \u201cvisionary leader\u201d whose legacy transformed the Gulf nation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":131,"featured_media":2000119134,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[151,69],"byline":[192],"hashtag":[],"class_list":["post-2000119132","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-editors-choice","tag-homehighlights","byline-wycliffe-nyamasege"],"bylines":[{"id":192,"name":"Wycliffe Nyamasege","slug":"wycliffe-nyamasege","description":"","image":{"id":0,"url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&f=y&r=g","alt":"Default avatar","title":"Default avatar","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","sizes":[]},"user_id":131}],"contributors":[{"id":192,"name":"Wycliffe Nyamasege","slug":"wycliffe-nyamasege","description":"","image":{"id":0,"url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&f=y&r=g","alt":"Default avatar","title":"Default avatar","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","sizes":[]},"user_id":131}],"featured_image":{"id":2000119134,"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/07\/085-1783842177.jpg","alt":"","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","width":770,"height":513,"sizes":{"thumbnail":{"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/07\/085-1783842177.jpg","width":770,"height":513},"medium":{"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/07\/085-1783842177.jpg","width":770,"height":513},"medium_large":{"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/07\/085-1783842177.jpg","width":770,"height":513},"large":{"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/07\/085-1783842177.jpg","width":770,"height":513},"full":{"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/07\/085-1783842177.jpg","width":770,"height":513}}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2000119132","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/131"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2000119132"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2000119132\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2000119135,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2000119132\/revisions\/2000119135"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2000119134"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2000119132"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2000119132"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2000119132"},{"taxonomy":"byline","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/byline?post=2000119132"},{"taxonomy":"hashtag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/hashtag?post=2000119132"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}