Top Diplomat in Trump Admin Leaving State Dept

Fitrell has been leading the State Department’s African bureau since the Senate-confirmed assistant secretary position remains unfilled.

Fitrell, who has been a diplomat for over 30 years, recently stated that the Trump 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, who will follow Fitrell, previously served as the United States ambassador to Djibouti from 2021-2023. He also held additional missions with the State Department, serving in Pakistan, Sudan, and Angola.

This is the second high-profile figure to step away from the administration recently.

The military commander who announced his resignation is responsible for the Pentagon’s intensifying operations against vessels in the Caribbean Sea that the Trump administration alleges are engaged in drug smuggling.

Adm. Alvin Holsey, the officer in charge of the U.S. Southern Command, which oversees operations in Central and South America, is stepping down from his position, despite the Pentagon’s swift deployment of approximately 10,000 troops in the region for what it describes as a significant counterdrug and counterterrorism initiative.