US President Donald Trump has recalled Richard Mills, the United States ambassador to Nigeria, as part of what appears to be a broad diplomatic overhaul affecting America’s missions worldwide.
Reports indicate that more than two dozen countries are impacted, with Africa bearing the brunt of the changes.
Nigeria is among 15 African countries whose envoys have been recalled. Others include Algeria, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Gabon, Côte d’Ivoire, Egypt, Madagascar, Mauritius, Niger, Rwanda, Senegal, Somalia and Uganda.
In the Asia-Pacific region, the affected countries include Fiji, Laos, the Marshall Islands, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines and Vietnam.
Several European nations — Armenia, Macedonia, Montenegro and Slovakia — were also impacted, while Guatemala and Suriname were affected in the western hemisphere.
According to State Department officials who spoke to Guardian UK, the ambassadors were informed last week that their tenures would conclude in January.
All the recalled envoys were appointed during the Joe Biden administration and had initially remained in office after Trump’s return to power, surviving an early round of dismissals that largely targeted political appointees.
However, that position shifted on Wednesday when the ambassadors reportedly began receiving formal notifications from officials in Washington DC regarding their impending departure.
Typically, US envoys serve between three and four years in their host countries. Mills was confirmed as US ambassador to Nigeria in May last year.
His recall comes amid strained relations between the US and Nigeria, largely due to visa disputes and security concerns, even as both countries continue efforts to strengthen bilateral ties.
Just last week, Mills met with Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, to explore areas of cooperation. The meeting followed comments by Congressman Riley Moore that the US and Nigeria were nearing an agreement on a “strategic security framework” to address terrorism in the West African nation.
State Department officials clarified that the recalled ambassadors are not being dismissed from the foreign service and may return to Washington for other assignments if they choose.