The Trump administration is reportedly considering the closure of nearly 30 U.S. embassies and consulates worldwide — including several across Africa — as part of a broader plan to scale back America’s diplomatic footprint.
According to a CNN report published Wednesday, which cites an internal U.S. State Department document, embassies in the Republic of Congo, Central African Republic, Lesotho, and South Sudan are among those proposed for shutdown. A U.S. consulate in South Africa may also be closed.
The document reportedly recommends shuttering 10 embassies and 17 consulates, with many located in Europe and Africa, as well as some in Asia and the Caribbean. Among the proposed closures are diplomatic missions in Malta, Luxembourg, Lesotho, the Republic of Congo, the Central African Republic, and South Sudan. The list also includes multiple consulates—five in France, two in Germany, two in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and one each in the UK, South Africa, and South Korea.
The proposed move is said to be part of a larger cost-cutting push spearheaded by the Trump administration, influenced in part by the Elon Musk-supported Department of Government Efficiency. The aim is to significantly downsize federal agencies, including the State Department.
The internal document also recommends reducing U.S. presence in key countries like Somalia and Iraq—nations critical to Washington’s counterterrorism operations.
So far, there has been no confirmation that Secretary of State Marco Rubio has signed off on the plan. A State Department spokesperson declined to comment on the leaked document.
