Trump administration recalls nearly 30 US ambassadors in major shake-up

The Trump administration is recalling nearly 30 career diplomats from ambassadorial and other senior embassy posts as part of a broader effort to reshape the United States’ diplomatic presence abroad in line with President Donald Trump’s “America First” agenda.

According to two State Department officials, the chiefs of mission in at least 29 countries were informed last week that their tenures would end in January. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of internal personnel decisions, Caliber.Az reports, citing US media.

All of the diplomats were appointed during the Biden administration and had initially remained in place after President Trump began his second term, surviving an early round of dismissals that primarily targeted political appointees. That situation changed on December 17, when the affected ambassadors began receiving formal notifications from Washington regarding their imminent recall.

While ambassadors serve at the pleasure of the president, they typically remain in their posts for three to four years. The officials stressed that those being recalled are not being dismissed from the Foreign Service and may return to Washington to take up other assignments if they choose.

The State Department declined to comment on the exact number of ambassadors involved or identify those affected, but defended the move as routine. In a statement, it described the recalls as “a standard process in any administration,” noting that ambassadors are personal representatives of the president and that it is his prerogative to ensure they advance U.S. policy priorities, including the “America First” agenda.

Africa has been the region most affected by the reshuffle, with ambassadors recalled from 13 countries: Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Gabon, Ivory Coast, Madagascar, Mauritius, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Somalia and Uganda.

Asia is the second most impacted region, with changes involving six countries: Fiji, Laos, the Marshall Islands, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines and Vietnam.

In Europe, ambassadors to Armenia, North Macedonia, Montenegro and Slovakia are being recalled. Other affected regions include the Middle East (Algeria and Egypt), South and Central Asia (Nepal and Sri Lanka), and the Western Hemisphere (Guatemala and Suriname).

By Vugar Khalilov