In a major diplomatic shake-up, US President Donald Trump has recalled the country’s Ambassador to Nigeria, Richard Mills Jr., along with 29 other career diplomats from senior postings worldwide. The move is part of an effort to realign the US diplomatic corps with Trump’s “America First” foreign policy priorities.
According to reports first published by Politico, most of the recalls affect African nations, including Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Gabon, Côte d’Ivoire, Madagascar, Mauritius, Niger, Rwanda, Senegal, Somalia, Algeria, Egypt, and Uganda. Six countries in the Asia-Pacific region Fiji, Laos, the Marshall Islands, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, and Vietnam were also impacted.
European postings affected include Armenia, Macedonia, Montenegro, and Slovakia, while Nepal and Sri Lanka in South Asia and Guatemala and Suriname in the Western Hemisphere were also included in the recall.
All diplomats affected were originally appointed during former President Joe Biden’s administration but had survived an earlier purge that primarily targeted political appointees during the initial months of Trump’s second term.
The US State Department defended the decision, emphasizing that ambassadors are the personal representatives of the president. “It is the president’s right to ensure that he has individuals in these countries who advance the America First agenda,” the department said.
Two anonymous State Department officials told the Associated Press that the chiefs of mission in the 29 countries were informed last week that their assignments would end in January. They also clarified that the diplomats are not being dismissed from the foreign service and may return to Washington for other postings if they choose.
Ambassadors typically serve at the president’s pleasure, with tenures lasting three to four years, the officials said.
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