US President Donald Trump has recalled Richard Mills, the United States ambassador to Nigeria, as part of a sweeping diplomatic shake-up affecting American missions across several regions of the world.
Reports indicate that more than two dozen countries are affected by the move, with Africa bearing the largest impact. Nigeria is among 15 African nations 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, countries affected include Fiji, Laos, the Marshall Islands, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines and Vietnam.
Armenia, North Macedonia, Montenegro and Slovakia were impacted in Europe, while Guatemala and Suriname were affected in the Western Hemisphere.
According to officials at the US State Department who spoke to The Guardian UK, the affected chiefs of mission were informed last week that their tenures would end in January 2026.
All the recalled ambassadors were appointed during the administration of former President Joe Biden and had initially survived an early purge in the first months of Trump’s second term, which largely targeted political appointees.
However, the situation reportedly changed last Wednesday when diplomats began receiving official notices from Washington regarding their imminent departure.
US ambassadors typically serve three to four years in their host countries. Mills, who was confirmed as ambassador to Nigeria in May 2025, is being recalled amid strained US-Nigeria relations, particularly over visa restrictions and security concerns.
The recall comes despite ongoing diplomatic engagements between both countries. Just last week, Mills met with Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, to discuss bilateral cooperation.
The meeting followed comments by US Congressman Riley Moore, who said both countries were close to reaching an agreement on a strategic security framework to combat terrorism in Nigeria.
State Department officials clarified that the recalled diplomats are not being dismissed from the US Foreign Service and may return to Washington for other assignments if they choose.
