Ambassadorial positions of the United States Department of State in Nigeria and 116 other countries are currently vacant, highlighting a widening diplomatic gap across multiple regions of the world.

Official records published on April 8, 2026, via the US Department of State’s website and titled “Ambassadorial Assignments Overseas” by the Office of Presidential Appointments, show that Nigeria is among 117 countries yet to have a Senate-confirmed US ambassador.

According to The PUNCH, the unfilled positions cut across Africa, Europe, Asia, the Americas and Oceania, affecting both key allies and strategic regions.

In Africa, the vacancies exist in countries including Algeria, Angola, Benin, Burundi, Cabo Verde, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Egypt, Eritrea, Eswatini, Gabon, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan, Tanzania, and Togo.

In Europe, the list includes countries such as Albania, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Kosovo, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Norway, Russia, Serbia, the Slovak Republic, Slovenia and Ukraine.

In Asia and the Middle East, those affected include Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Burma, Cambodia, Indonesia, Iraq, the Republic of Korea, Kuwait, Laos, Malaysia, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Syria, Tajikistan, Timor-Leste, United Arab Emirates and Vietnam.

In the Americas, the vacancies extend to countries such as Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Cuba, Commonwealth of Dominica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Grenada, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago and Venezuela.

Meanwhile, in Oceania, several island nations are also without confirmed US ambassadors, including Australia, the Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, the Marshall Islands, Nauru, New Zealand, Niue, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, the Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu.

This development followed earlier diplomatic changes reported in December 2025, when the administration of President Donald Trump recalled nearly 30 career diplomats from ambassadorial and senior embassy positions worldwide.

According to a report published in The Guardian, attributing it to AP, the move affected mission chiefs in at least 29 countries, including 15 in Africa.