United States President Donald Trump has recalled the US ambassador to Nigeria, Richard Mills, along with 29 other career diplomats serving in ambassadorial and senior embassy roles, as part of a broader effort to realign Washington’s diplomatic corps with his “America First” agenda.
The recalls, first reported by Politico, represent the latest major overhaul of diplomatic postings under the Trump administration. The move largely affected the African continent, with ambassadors from 15 African countries asked to end their tenures.
Countries affected in Africa include Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Gabon, Côte d’Ivoire, Madagascar, Mauritius, Niger, Rwanda, Senegal, Somalia, Algeria, Egypt and Uganda, in addition to Nigeria.
Six countries in the Asia-Pacific region were also impacted. They are Fiji, Laos, the Marshall Islands, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines and Vietnam.
In Europe, ambassadors to Armenia, North Macedonia, Montenegro and Slovakia were recalled. Nepal and Sri Lanka were affected in South Asia, while Guatemala and Suriname were impacted in the Western Hemisphere.
All the diplomats affected were appointed during the administration of former President Joe Biden but had remained in office after an earlier round of removals during the first months of Trump’s second term, which primarily targeted political appointees.
The US State Department defended the decision, describing it as a routine practice under a new administration.
“An ambassador is a personal representative of the president, and it is the president’s right to ensure that he has individuals in these countries who advance the America First agenda,” the department said in a statement.
Two State Department officials, speaking to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity, said chiefs of mission in at least 29 countries were informed last week that their assignments would end in January.
“Ambassadors serve at the pleasure of the president, although they typically remain in office for between three and four years,” the officials were quoted as saying.
They added that the affected diplomats were not being dismissed from the foreign service and could return to Washington for other assignments if they so choose.
