The government of the United States, U.S, has recalled serving ambassadors from Nigeria and 29 other countries in a major diplomatic overhaul.
The development under the administration of U.S President Donald Trump targeted career diplomats who were largely appointed during the administration of the immediate past President of the U.S, Joe Biden.
The U.S State Department announced that the government had recalled Ambassadors from Nigeria and 29 other countries. The agency explained that the recalls are part of a broader effort to realign the United States’ international presence with the “America First” agenda, ensuring that top envoys are fully aligned with the current administration’s specific policy goals.
The State Department has described the move as a “standard process.” According to reports, mission chiefs in at least 30 countries were notified that their tenures would officially conclude in January 2026. Africa is the continent most heavily impacted by this decision, with 13 countries seeing their top American diplomats summoned home.
The state department declined to comment on specific numbers or ambassadors affected, but defended the changes, calling them “a standard process in any administration”. It noted 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”.
According to reports, Africa is the continent most affected by the removals, with ambassadors from 13 countries being removed: Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Gabon, Côte d’Ivoire, Madagascar, Mauritius, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Somalia, and Uganda.
Second is the Asia-Pacific region, with ambassadorial changes affecting six countries: Fiji, Laos, the Marshall Islands, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, and Vietnam.
Four countries in Europe (Armenia, Macedonia, Montenegro, and Slovakia) are affected, as are two each in the Middle East (Algeria and Egypt); South Asia (Nepal and Sri Lanka); and the western hemisphere (Guatemala and Suriname).
Despite the high-profile nature of the recalls, the State Department emphasized that the affected individuals are career Foreign Service officers. They are not being terminated from their careers but will return to Washington, D.C. for new assignments.
Pan-Atlantic Kompass reports that the development follows a series of foreign and immigration policy changes under Trump’s administration. Since assuming office in January 2025, Trump had been vocal about his “America First” policy.
Recently, Trump expanded his restrictive measures, resulting in a functional freeze on many legal pathways for foreign nationals. The decision also affected many African countries, including Nigeria.
On December 16, 2025, a new Presidential Proclamation was issued, expanding the list of restricted countries from 19 to 39. Nigeria, which was previously spared from the most severe “full” bans, has now been added to a “partial restriction” list.
This classification effectively halts the issuance of immigrant visas and several categories of non-immigrant visas, including student (F and M) and exchange (J) visas.
The administration cited “national security concerns” and high visa-overstay rates as the primary drivers for these measures.
