US President Donald Trump has recalled Richard Mills, United States ambassador to Nigeria, in what appears to be a diplomatic shake-up across the country’s global missions.
Over two dozen countries are reportedly affected — with Africa the most impacted continent.
Nigeria was among 15 countries on the continent to have envoys 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, Fiji, Laos, the Marshall Islands, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines and Vietnam were affected.
In Europe, Armenia, Macedonia, Montenegro and Slovakia were impacted while Guatemala and Suriname experienced the changes in the western hemisphere.
State Department officials told Guardian UK that the chiefs of mission were informed last week that their tenures would end in January.
All the ambassadors had taken up their posts in the Joe Biden administration but had survived an initial purge in the early months of Trump’s second term that targeted mainly political appointees.
That changed on Wednesday when they began to receive notices from officials in Washington DC about their imminent departures.
Envoys typically remain at their posts for between three and four years.
Mills was confirmed as US ambassador to Nigeria last May.
His recall comes amid frosty US-Nigeria relations over visa rows and security concerns.
It also comes as both sides work to partner on initiatives to strengthen the relationship.
Just last week, Mills met with Yusuf Tuggar, Nigeria’s minister of foreign affairs, to discuss areas of bilateral cooperation after congressman Riley Moore said the US and Nigeria were close to reaching an agreement on a “strategic security framework” aimed at tackling terrorism in the West African country.
State Department officials said the recalled ambassadors are not losing their foreign service jobs but will be returning to Washington for other assignments should they wish to take them.