Key takeaways

• The Trump administration has begun recalling nearly 30 career diplomats from senior overseas posts, including the US ambassador to Nepal.
• State Department officials told AP that chiefs of mission in at least 29 countries were informed their tenures will end in January.
• The State Department has defended the changes as routine and tied to staffing posts aligned with the president’s agenda.
• Nepal is listed among the affected countries, with Kathmandu expected to be led by senior embassy officials until a new ambassador is appointed.

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The Trump administration has started recalling nearly 30 career diplomats from ambassadorial and other senior embassy posts worldwide, including the United States ambassador to Nepal, Dean R. Thompson.

Two State Department officials told the Associated Press that chiefs of mission in at least 29 countries were notified last week that their tenures will end in January.

The State Department has not confirmed a full list of affected posts, but defended the move as routine. In a statement cited by AP, the department said an ambassador is “a personal representative of the president” and that the president has the right to ensure envoys advance his agenda.

AP reported that most of the removals are in Africa, with 13 countries affected. It also listed changes in Asia, Europe, the Middle East, South and Central Asia, and the Western Hemisphere, including Nepal and Sri Lanka in South and Central Asia.

In Kathmandu, MyRepublica reported that Thompson is among the diplomats being called back and that the move comes a day after China’s ambassador to Nepal, Chen Song, made farewell calls ahead of his departure.

Thompson has served as US ambassador to Nepal since presenting his credentials in October 2022, according to the US Embassy in Nepal.

The US Embassy in Kathmandu is expected to continue normal operations under senior staff while Washington nominates and the Senate considers a successor, a process that can take months.