President Donald Trump has recalled Richard Mills, the United States ambassador to Nigeria, as part of a sweeping diplomatic reshuffle affecting American missions worldwide.

Reports indicate that more than two dozen countries are impacted, with Africa being the most affected continent. Nigeria is among 15 African countries experiencing envoy recalls, alongside 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. In Europe, Armenia, Macedonia, Montenegro, and Slovakia are impacted, while Guatemala and Suriname experienced changes in the Western Hemisphere.

State Department officials told Guardian UK that chiefs of mission were informed last week that their tenures would end in January.

Most of the recalled ambassadors had been appointed during the Joe Biden administration but had survived an earlier purge in the initial months of Trump’s second term, which mainly targeted political appointees.

Mills, confirmed as US ambassador to Nigeria in May last year, received his recall notice this week. His departure comes amid tense US-Nigeria relations, particularly over visa issues and security concerns.

Despite the recall, the State Department clarified that the affected envoys are not losing their foreign service positions. They will return to Washington for reassignment if they choose.

Just last week, Mills met with Nigerian Foreign Affairs Minister, Yusuf Tuggar, to explore bilateral cooperation opportunities, following remarks by Congressman Riley Moore that the US and Nigeria were close to finalising a “strategic security framework” to tackle terrorism in West Africa.