فاس نيوز ميديا جريدة الكترونية جهوية تعنى بشؤون و أخبار جهة فاس مكناس – متجددة على مدار الساعة
Washington: A leaked draft presidential decree, obtained by Agence France-Presse (AFP) on Sunday, has revealed a potential plan by Trump to significantly reduce the United States’ diplomatic presence in Africa. This would be part of what the document describes as a “total structural reorganization” of the US State Department.
The document calls for a major overhaul of the department at the heart of American diplomacy by October 1st. The stated objectives are to “streamline the execution of missions, project American power abroad, reduce waste, fraud, and abuse,” and to “align the State Department with the America First strategic doctrine.”
Details of the draft were initially reported by the New York Times, but US Secretary of State Marco Rubio denied its authenticity on Sunday. “This is false information,” he wrote on platform X, asserting that the newspaper had been “the victim of another hoax.”
The restructuring plan, also reviewed by AFP, notably includes the elimination of State Department offices responsible for climate change, democracy, and human rights.
However, the most significant change involves the reorganization of the US diplomatic presence into four distinct regions: Eurasia, the Middle East, Latin America, and Asia-Pacific.
Under this plan, the current bureau for Africa would be abolished and replaced by an “Office of the Special Envoy for African Affairs,” which would report to the White House’s National Security Council, rather than the State Department.
“All non-essential embassies and consulates in Sub-Saharan Africa will be closed,” the draft decree states, and all remaining missions would be consolidated under the authority of a special envoy.
Furthermore, the US embassy in Canada’s capital, Ottawa, would be “significantly reduced,” as Trump continues to express expansionist views towards Canada, which he has referred to as the “51st US state.”
No official comments on the leaked draft decree have been made by State Department officials. This plan aligns with a series of measures taken by Trump to curtail American “soft power” initiatives and his questioning of long-standing alliances, including with NATO.
Last week, several US media outlets reported on potential drastic cuts to the State Department’s budget, which could result in the cessation of funding for international organizations such as the United Nations and NATO.
