U.S. Ambassador to Nigeria Richard Mills Jr. together with 29 other career diplomats from senior embassy posts. The move, first reported by Politico, is framed as a reshaping of Washington’s diplomatic posture to align with Trump’s “America First” agenda.
The recall sweep hit 15 African nations (Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Gabon, Côte d’Ivoire, Madagascar, Mauritius, Niger, Rwanda, Senegal, Somalia, Algeria, Egypt, Uganda and Nigeria), six Asia‑Pacific countries (Fiji, Laos, Marshall Islands, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Vietnam), four European nations (Armenia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Slovakia) and two South Asian countries (Nepal, Sri Lanka), plus Guatemala and Suriname in the Western Hemisphere. All recalled envoys were appointed under former President Joe Biden and survived an earlier purge early in Trump’s second term. The State Department called the action
“standard” and stressed that an ambassador serves at the president’s pleasure; affected diplomats remain in the Foreign Service and may be reassigned to Washington. The piece also lists related stories, including the report on U.S. surveillance flights over Nigeria after Trump’s threat and a separate note on Trump removing dozens of career ambassadors appointed under Biden [Vanguard 23 Dec 2025 article].
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