Julie Chung among envoys recalled by Trump

The Trump administration has begun recalling nearly 30 career diplomats serving as ambassadors and senior embassy officials worldwide, including the United States Ambassador to Sri Lanka, as part of a broader reshaping of US diplomatic representation to align with President Donald Trump’s “America First” agenda.

State Department officials said chiefs of mission in at least 29 countries were informed last week that their tenures would end in January. Most of those affected were appointed during the Biden administration and had remained in their posts after an earlier removal of political appointees during Trump’s second term. Formal notices of their impending departures were issued from Washington on Wednesday.

While ambassadors serve at the pleasure of the president and typically hold office for three to four years, officials stressed that those recalled will not lose their foreign service status and will instead return to Washington for reassignment.

The State Department declined to confirm the exact number or identities of the diplomats involved but described the move as a routine process, noting that ambassadors function as the president’s personal representatives abroad.

Africa has been the most affected region, with ambassadors recalled from 13 countries, including Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal and Uganda. The Asia-Pacific region follows, with six countries impacted, including Fiji, Laos, the Philippines and Vietnam. In Europe, ambassadors to Armenia, North Macedonia, Montenegro and Slovakia are being replaced.

Two countries each in the Middle East (Algeria and Egypt), South Asia (Nepal and Sri Lanka) and the Western Hemisphere (Guatemala and Suriname) are also included in the recall.

Among those affected is US Ambassador to Sri Lanka Julie Chung, who has been serving in Colombo since her appointment during the Biden administration.