Trump’s Top Diplomat in Africa Leaving State Department
President Donald J. Trump’s top envoy to Africa, Ambassador Troy Fitrell, will retire from the State Department next month, marking the end of a three-decade diplomatic career. Jonathan Pratt, currently Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of African Affairs, will assume the leadership role following Fitrell’s departure.
“After a long and distinguished career, the Department of State’s Bureau of African Affairs Senior Bureau Official Ambassador Troy Fitrell is retiring as planned,” a State Department spokesperson said.
“The Bureau of African Affairs Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Jonathan Pratt will step into the Senior Bureau Official role after Ambassador Fitrell’s departure,” the spokesperson added.
Fitrell, a veteran of over 30 years in U.S. foreign service, previously served as the U.S. Ambassador to Guinea, the Deputy Chief of Mission at American embassies in Ethiopia and Mauritius, and directed the Offices of Western and Southern African Affairs.
Since taking the helm of the African Bureau, Fitrell has played a key role in reshaping America’s engagement on the continent. Under President Trump’s leadership, the United States has transitioned from a foreign aid-dependent approach to a commercially driven strategy that promotes free markets, trade, and mutual prosperity.
Fitrell said earlier this year that the administration is “shifting the United States’ approach to Africa from one rooted primarily in development assistance to a strategy that prioritizes robust commercial engagement.”
Pratt, his successor, brings extensive diplomatic experience, having served as U.S. Ambassador to Djibouti from 2021 to 2023, with additional assignments in Pakistan, Sudan, and Angola.
The transition underscores the Trump administration’s continued emphasis on strengthening U.S. influence abroad through strategic partnerships and economic diplomacy, rather than dependency-based aid models.
In a separate development, the commander of U.S. Southern Command, Admiral Alvin Holsey, announced his retirement after nearly four decades of service. The move comes in the midst of the Trump administration’s expanded military operations across the Caribbean Sea, aimed at dismantling international drug trafficking and terror networks.
Admiral Holsey’s departure occurs less than a year into what is typically a three-year posting. Though the Pentagon has not disclosed a reason, reports indicate policy disagreements over Venezuela may have contributed to the decision.
“On behalf of the Department of War, we extend our deepest gratitude to Admiral Alvin Holsey for his more than 37 years of distinguished service to our nation as he plans to retire at year’s end,” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said in a statement.
According to multiple officials cited anonymously, Admiral Holsey had expressed concerns about certain operational directives, including intensified actions against suspected narco-vessels and the administration’s tougher stance on Venezuela.
The New York Times recently reported that the Trump administration had authorized the C.I.A. to conduct covert operations in Venezuela. President Trump later confirmed he had approved such measures, stating the United States was “considering strikes on Venezuelan soil” as part of a broader national security effort to disrupt criminal and terrorist networks tied to hostile regimes.
Currently, more than 10,000 U.S. troops are stationed across the Caribbean, supported by 2,200 Marines aboard amphibious assault ships, eight Navy warships, and one submarine.
The administration has defended the sweeping counter-narcotics campaign as a legitimate act of national self-defense, citing the devastating toll of drug overdoses and cross-border trafficking on American communities.
While political critics frame the operation as “escalation,” supporters argue it demonstrates America’s renewed resolve under President Trump to confront lawlessness — both abroad and at home.