The Prince, Who Trusted the Sudanese, Passes Away

Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Naïf bin Abdul-Aziz al-Saud has died in Geneva, as Saudi state television said on Saturday the 16th of June 2012, citing a” Royal Court Statement”.
Crown Prince Naïf was a long-serving interior minister who served his country in that position since 1975 till he became heir to the throne last year at the age of 78. Reports say he had traveled abroad for medical treatment. He was shown on television greeting supporters in Geneva, Switzerland, three days ago. Saturday’s statement from King Abdullah said the prince would be buried after sunset prayers on Sunday in the Muslim holy city of Mecca.
I worked in Saudi Arabia for 8 years from 1983 to 1991 in “The National Security Council” as a translator. The NSC offices were first situated at the Ministry of Interior, in Riyadh down town. The NSC was headed by the King himself, King Fahad at the time, and the whole Council’s work was under the supervision of Prince Naïf, the Interior Minister who used to report its work to the King.
I never met Prince Naïf face to face, but my translation and abstracts of what was written in the Western Media used to go daily to his office. At that time the Western media used to closely align Prince Naïf with the country’s conservative clerics, who had, and still have a negative picture in the Western mind. The internal Ministry’s officials picture of the Prince was one of a smiling, though firm man who loved to carry his work without much propaganda.
We, the Sudanese who worked for the Ministry of Interior, felt that Prince Naïf trusted the Sudan and its people. His trust was reflected in his confidence and acceptance for, at least five or six Sudanese, to work as translators in his Ministry, most importantly at his own office and at the NSC: Abdelsalam Suleiman, Mohamed Abdelgadir, Farahna, Johdat Allah, Awad and others who never betrayed that trust and confidence.
We all pray that may Allah the Beneficent, The Merciful rest his soul in peace.