Trump announces major diplomatic shake-up, recalls nearly 30 diplomats worldwide — Which countries will it impact?

In a move to reshape US diplomacy, the Trump administration is recalling nearly 30 career diplomats from ambassadorial and other senior embassy posts. This move aims to reshape the country's diplomatic posture abroad to align with US President Donald Trump’s “America First” agenda.

Two State Department officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, told AP that the chiefs of mission in nearly 29 countries were sent notices last week, informing them that their tenures would conclude in January. This diplomatic shake-up affected the following countries:

• Africa is the continent most affected by the removals. Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Gabon, Ivory Coast, Madagascar, Mauritius, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Somalia and Uganda are the 13 African countries from which ambassadors will be removed.

• Asia is second, with ambassadorial replacements in six countries: Fiji, Laos, the Marshall Islands, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines and Vietnam.
• Four countries in Europe: Armenia, Macedonia, Montenegro and Slovakia.
• Two each in the Middle East: Algeria and Egypt.
• Other countries: Nepal, Sri Lanka, Guatemala and Suriname.

All these diplomats were posted during the Biden administration. In the early months of Trump’s second term, the initial purge targeted mainly political appointees. On Wednesday, officials in Washington issued notices to diplomats, declaring their imminent departure.

Ambassadors typically remain posted for three to four years but serve at the pleasure of the president. According to the officials, those affected by the shake-up will not lose their foreign service jobs; instead, they will be returning to the country for other assignments if they wish to take them.

The State Department declined to comment, but, defending the changes, called the diplomat replacement drive “a standard process in any administration”. It added that 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.”

(With inputs from AP)