US President, Donald Trump, has recalled the country’s ambassador to Nigeria, Richard Mills, and 29 other career diplomats from ambassadorial and other senior embassy postings in a bid to reshape Washington’s diplomatic posture in line with Trump’s “America First” priorities.
The ambassadorial recalls, first reported by Politico, and the latest major shake-up of the diplomatic ranks under Trump’s administration, affected mostly African continent with ambassadors from 15 countries recalled.
Other countries affected are Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Gabon, Côte d’Ivoire, Madagascar, Mauritius, Niger, Rwanda, Senegal, Somalia, Algeria, Egypt and Uganda.
Six countries from Asia-Pacific region, including Fiji, Laos, the Marshall Islands, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines and Vietnam, were also affected with the ambassadorial changes.
In Europe, ambassadors to Armenia, Macedonia, Montenegro and Slovakia were affected. In South Asia, Nepal and Sri Lanka were affected, while in the Western Hemisphere, Guatemala and Suriname were also impacted.
All the affected diplomats were appointed during the administration of former President, Joe Biden, but survived an earlier purge in the first months of Trump’s second term, which largely targeted political appointees.
In a statement, the State Department defended the move, saying that it was a standard process in any 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 the statement.
Two State Department officials who spoke to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity said the chiefs of mission in at least 29 countries, were informed last week that their tenures would end in January.
“Ambassadors serve at the pleasure of the president, although they typically remain in office for between three and four years,” AP quoted the officials as saying.
The officials said those affected are not being dismissed from the foreign service and may return to Washington for other assignments if they choose.