Ramtane Lamamra


Ramtane Lamamra ; born June 15, 1952, is an Algerian diplomat who was the African Union's Commissioner for Peace and Security from 2008 to 2013 and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Algeria from 2013 to 2017 and briefly in March 2019.

Life and career

Born at Amizour in Béjaïa Province, Lamamra studied at the École nationale d'administration in Algiers. He was appointed as Algeria's Ambassador to Ethiopia and Djibouti, as well the Organization of African Unity and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, in 1989. He was Chairman of the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency from 1992 to 1993. Subsequently, he was appointed as Algeria's Permanent Representative to the United Nations in 1993, and he served as Ambassador to the United States from 1996 to 1999.
From August 1, 2005 until July 7, 2007 he was Secretary-General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He was elected as the African Union's Commissioner for Peace and Security in early 2008, taking office on April 28, 2008. He succeeded another Algerian diplomat, Said Djinnit, in that post.
Lamamra was appointed to the Algerian government as Minister of Foreign Affairs on September 11, 2013; consequently he left his post as AU Commissioner for Peace and Security.
After nearly four years as Minister of Foreign Affairs, Lamamra was dismissed from the government on May 25, 2017.