President Donald Trump has directed the recall of the United States ambassador to Nigeria, Richard M. Mills Jr., along with 29 other top diplomats, marking one of the most significant diplomatic shake-ups of his second term in office.

Mills, who assumed office on July 25, 2024, is among 13 US ambassadors posted to African countries who are affected by the decision. Sources familiar with the development said the move is aimed at restructuring the country’s diplomatic corps to better reflect Trump’s “America First” foreign policy doctrine.

The Associated Press reported that the diplomats involved — many of whom were appointed under the previous administration but retained during the early months of Trump’s return to office — were informed last week that their assignments would formally end in January 2026.

An official quoted by AP explained that ambassadors serve at the discretion of the president, stressing that although envoys typically hold office for three to four years, the president retains the power to replace them whenever he deems it necessary.

Officials who spoke anonymously to AP clarified that the recalled ambassadors are not being removed from the Foreign Service. Rather, they will be offered reassignment to roles within the United States should they opt to remain in diplomatic service.

The US State Department also confirmed to The Guardian that the affected chiefs of mission were notified of the decision last week. In a statement, the department emphasized that ambassadors act as personal representatives of the president and that it is within the president’s authority to ensure that US envoys abroad are aligned with his policy objectives.

Africa emerged as the region most impacted by the recall, with ambassadors withdrawn from 13 countries: Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Gabon, Côte d’Ivoire, Madagascar, Mauritius, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Somalia and Uganda.

The Asia-Pacific region recorded the next highest number of recalls, affecting six countries — Fiji, Laos, the Marshall Islands, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines and Vietnam.

In other regions, ambassadors were also recalled from Armenia, North Macedonia, Montenegro and Slovakia in Europe; Algeria and Egypt in the Middle East; Nepal and Sri Lanka in South Asia; and Guatemala and Suriname in the Western Hemisphere.