Trump may close embassies and consulates in Africa and cut the State Department

U.S. President Donald Trump may sign an executive order next week to curtail the activities of the State Department and U.S. embassies in Africa. This is reported by The New York Times, writes UNN.

Details

In addition, the document proposes to reduce units at the State Department headquarters that deal with climate change, democracy, and human rights.

The purpose of the executive order, which Trump may sign as early as next week, is to carry out a "rigorous reorganization" of the U.S. State Department and "optimize mission execution" while simultaneously reducing "waste, fraud, and abuse." According to a copy of the 16-page document, the changes are to be implemented by October 1.

According to sources, the signing of the executive order will be accompanied by layoffs of both diplomats and civil servants. In particular, the State Department will begin sending a large number of employees on paid leave and sending out layoff notices.

The draft executive order also calls for the cancellation of the Foreign Service exam for future diplomats and establishes new hiring criteria. Including "alignment with the president's foreign policy vision."

According to the document, the State Department will have to significantly expand the use of artificial intelligence to assist in drafting documents, as well as for "policy development and review" and "operational planning."

The newspaper writes that some provisions of the executive order may be changed by the time it is signed. The media further adds that the proposed reorganization will eliminate regional bureaus that help develop and implement policy in many parts of the world. Instead, these functions will be distributed among four "corps." These include:

• Eurasian Corps, consisting of Europe, the Russian Federation, and Central Asia;

• Middle East Corps, consisting of Arab countries, Iran, Pakistan, and Afghanistan;

• Latin American Corps, consisting of Central America, South America, and the Caribbean;

• Indo-Pacific Corps, consisting of East Asia, Southeast Asia, India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan, and the Maldives.

One of the proposals in the draft is the liquidation of the Bureau of African Affairs, which is responsible for U.S. policy in sub-Saharan Africa. Instead, a much smaller office of a special envoy for Africa is envisioned, which will report to the National Security Council at the White House. The new office will focus only on a few priority areas, including "coordinated counterterrorism operations" and "strategic extraction and trade of critical natural resources."

The draft also states that all "non-essential" embassies and consulates in sub-Saharan Africa will be closed by October 1. Diplomats will be sent to Africa as part of "targeted missions."

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