Claim: US plans to cut all ties with Africa, close all US embassies on the continent
Source: Social media
Verdict: False
Researched by Gifty Danso
A viral post on social media platforms claims the President of the United States of America, Donald Trump, intends to cut all ties with Africa and close all US embassies in Africa. 
Fig. 1 – Screenshot of circulating claim
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This claim has been shared on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn (find here, here, here, and here), and has triggered discussions, given President Donald Trump’s recent Executive Orders.
Background
The New York Times and CNN published reports on April 15, 2025, citing a leaked US State Department memo allegedly detailing the Trump administration’s plan to scale back its diplomatic presence worldwide.
According to the publications, 10 embassies and 17 consulates worldwide were to be closed. Lesotho, the Republic of Congo, the Central African Republic, South Sudan, South Africa (Pretoria) and The Gambia were listed as countries where US embassies were to be closed.
CNN journalist Larry Madowo in a post on X added: “They also want to shut down the Consulates in Douala, Cameroon and in Durban, South Africa and reduce the size of the mission in Mogadishu, Somalia. This is according to internal documents that still needs congressional approval and could change.”
The New York Times said the closures and other reductions outlined in the document “represent an expansion of plans the Trump administration was working on earlier this year for closing a dozen foreign missions and laying off local staff who work in those locations.”
The NYT and CNN publications also indicated that the cuts are in keeping with Trump’s plans to reduce government spending, particularly spurred by the Elon Musk-backed Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to shrink the federal government.
This fact-check will verify whether;
- President Trump plans to cut all ties with Africa
- The administration intends to close all US embassies in Africa
Fact-check
The US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, formally debunked the viral claim on his X account, tagging it as “fake news.” His comment of April 20, 2025 was in response to a New York Times article reporting the planned cuts.
Fig.2: Screenshot of Marco Rubio’s response
On April 22, 2025, Rubio posted a statement affirming a plan to restructure the State Department – the country’s foremost foreign policy agency – and referring to the government’s diplomatic agency as “bloated, bureaucratic” and “beholden to radical political ideology.”
Fig.3 Screenshot of downsizing the State Department
Rubio also shared an article by the Free Press portal that reported a downsizing of agencies under the State Department. That article, however, did not mention any instance of embassy or consulate closures.
In conclusion, the Trump administration has not announced any plan to close embassies and there is no evidence suggesting that the country plans to cut all ties with Africa.
It is instructive to note that in 2025 alone, the US sent delegations to the swearing in of new presidents of Ghana, Namibia and recently Gabon. The US also brokered a peace agreement between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
Verdict
Therefore, the claim is False
