United States President Donald Trump has recalled Richard Mills, the US ambassador to Nigeria, during a sweeping diplomatic reshuffle involving over two dozen American missions worldwide, with Africa becoming the most impacted continent.Trump Recalls US Ambassador to Nigeria – Diplomatic Implications

Nigeria is among fifteen African countries whose envoys have been recalled.

Trump Recalls US Ambassador to Nigeria – Diplomatic Implications

Others include Algeria, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Gabon, Cote d’Ivoire, Egypt, Madagascar, Mauritius, Niger, Rwanda, Senegal, Somalia, and Uganda.

In the Asia-Pacific, it included Fiji, Laos, the Marshall Islands, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, and Vietnam. European countries included Armenia, North Macedonia, Montenegro, and Slovakia. Guatemala and Suriname were part of this in the western hemisphere.

The affected chiefs of mission were informed last week that their tenures would end in January.

Although the diplomats initially survived an early purge during the first months of Trump’s second term— largely aimed at political appointees— this changed Wednesday when notices of their imminent departures were issued from Washington, DC.

According to Politico, the recall is part of an extensive effort to align US diplomatic representation abroad with President Trump’s “America First” foreign policy priorities.

A State Department official confirmed that the ambassadors were appointed during former President Joe Biden’s administration and that they would now conclude their pregnancies as chiefs of mission come January.

Usually, the term is between three to four years. The officials indicated that while their roles as ambassadors will necessarily come to an end, the diplomats will not lose their foreign service status and may, if they so choose, return to Washington for other assignments.