Abdennour Khelifi: The Rogue Diplomat

By tackling a Moroccan diplomat and putting him on the ground with a judo move, Abdennour Khelifi exposed the rogue side of an Algerian diplomacy that is losing ground.

Lamine Baali, the Polisario representative in Addis Ababa, entered illegally with a fake Algerian diplomatic passport, provoking a distressing scene between the Algerian and Moroccan delegations. After discreetly taking a seat at the end of the table, he pulled out a placard reading ‘Sahrawi Republic’ and placed it in front of him. This act ignited a real street fight with Abdennour Khelifi as the main actor. A true rogue who has only a diplomatic passport allowing him to access international conference rooms where he acts as a goon to protect Algerian diplomats.

At the ‘Africa’ Directorate of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Abdennour Khelifi holds no diplomatic role. With an average level of education, he was recruited for his physical stature and martial arts experience to make arguments unrelated to diplomacy.

Moreover, the presence of such a brawler in the Algerian delegation raises questions. Are the Algerian diplomats, short on arguments and facing multiple failures, preparing for each appearance to clash with potential adversaries using such conduct as demonstrated by Abdennour Khelifi? It is truly unfortunate for Algeria, which once shone on the international diplomatic stage with notable successes.

Not only does Algerian diplomacy disgrace itself before the world by introducing an intruder into an international meeting (see video 1), but even worse, it includes in its delegation a rogue who only knows how to use the language of muscle.