US President Donald Trump has ordered the recall of Richard Mills, the United States ambassador to Nigeria, as part of a wide-ranging diplomatic reshuffle affecting American missions worldwide.
Reports indicate that more than two dozen countries are involved in the recall exercise, with Africa bearing the largest share. Nigeria is among 15 African nations affected, alongside Algeria, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Gabon, Côte d’Ivoire, Egypt, Madagascar, Mauritius, Niger, Rwanda, Senegal, Somalia and Uganda.
Several countries in the Asia-Pacific region were also impacted, including Fiji, Laos, the Marshall Islands, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines and Vietnam. In Europe, the changes affected Armenia, Macedonia, Montenegro and Slovakia, while Guatemala and Suriname were listed among the affected nations in the Western Hemisphere.
According to officials at the US State Department, the affected heads of mission were notified last week that their postings would officially end in January. All of the recalled ambassadors were appointed during former President Joe Biden’s administration and had initially remained in office during the early phase of Trump’s second term, which mainly removed political appointees.
However, the situation shifted on Wednesday when formal notifications were issued from Washington DC, signaling their impending departure. Typically, US ambassadors serve terms lasting between three and four years.
Mills, who was confirmed as US ambassador to Nigeria in May last year, is being recalled at a time of strained relations between both countries, largely due to visa-related disputes and security concerns. Despite these tensions, both governments have continued discussions aimed at strengthening 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 US Congressman Riley Moore, who revealed that both countries were close to finalizing a “strategic security framework” focused on combating terrorism in Nigeria.
State Department officials clarified that the recalled diplomats are not being dismissed from service and may return to Washington to take up other roles if they choose.
