Dear Secretary Rubio: Don’t Close Embassies in Africa

There is a concerning proposal to close several U.S. embassies and consulates in Africa, significantly reducing our diplomatic presence on the continent. The embassies targeted for closure include those in the Central African Republic, the Republic of Congo, Eritrea, The Gambia, Lesotho, and South Sudan, as well as consulates in Douala, Cameroon, and Durban, South Africa.

Global Ministries and 20 other non-profit and faith-based organizations have signed onto a letter that firmly urged U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio to maintain our embassies in Juba (South Sudan), Bangui (Central African Republic), and other key locations. These embassies are essential for supporting peacekeeping efforts in challenging environments, promoting human rights, and delivering humanitarian assistance. Furthermore, they are crucial in advancing development initiatives, health programs, and economic partnerships in these nations. Closing them would severely undermine our bilateral relations and diplomatic engagement in the region. We must prioritize these vital connections.

We strongly urge the Department of State to maintain, and where feasible, actively strengthen the U.S. diplomatic presence in these strategically important contexts. We are prepared to support U.S. diplomatic, peacebuilding, and stabilization efforts across Africa.

You can access the full letter here (add Link), and an op-ed from Mike Jobbins at Search can be found here: https://allafrica.com/stories/202505020215.html

The Honorable Marco Rubio                                                                                           May 2, 2025
Secretary of State
U.S. Department of State
2201 C Street N.W. Washington, D.C. 20451

Dear Secretary Rubio,

We, the undersigned 21 non-profit and faith-based organizations, representing Americans in all fifty states, write to express our concern regarding the reported proposal to close several U.S. embassies in Africa, including in the Central African Republic and South Sudan, as well as the Republic of Congo, Eritrea, the Gambia, and Lesotho. In particular, embassies in Bangui, Central African Republic, and Juba, South Sudan are critical to implementing programs and diplomatic efforts that promote our national security and have widespread bipartisan support.

• For all Americans, these embassies protect U.S. national security and economic interests, counter actors seeking to exploit instability, maintain real-time information and situational awareness, and reduce future costs by preventing escalation and large-scale crises.
• Embassies in volatile or war-affected countries support fragile peace processes and political transitions, promote democratic governance, rule of law, and human rights, and sustain U.S. credibility and leadership in fragile regions.
• We have seen the damage of closing these embassies before. In 2012, President Obama temporarily closed the embassy in Bangui for two years. This timeframe was marked by a period of mass atrocities, interreligious violence, and multiplying armed groups, where the U.S. had little information or influence as the situation spiralled out of control.
• These embassies ensure effective delivery and oversight of U.S. humanitarian aid, serve as a resource of local faith-based peacebuilders, build local economic self-sufficiency and reduce dependency on foreign aid, and foster regional stability by strengthening local resilience.

While we understand the costs and risks associated with maintaining a diplomatic presence in fragile environments, we firmly believe that retreating from these countries at this critical juncture would undermine U.S. interests and global leadership. U.S. engagement is not a luxury—it is a strategic necessity.

Central African Republic: A Strategic Investment in Peace and Stability. The U.S. Embassy in Bangui plays a pivotal role in advancing U.S. national security and foreign policy priorities. Programming and diplomatic engagement in CAR directly strengthen U.S. interests by promoting long-term stability, fostering free- market development, and building Central Africans’ capacity to resolve conflicts, thereby reducing the need for continued U.S. intervention. These efforts decrease reliance on foreign aid, strengthen Central African faith-based peacebuilders, and advance U.S. objectives of encouraging free-market development and regional autonomy.

South Sudan: Fragile Peace Requires Persistent Engagement. Similarly, in South Sudan, the U.S. Embassy in Juba remains a linchpin for supporting the fragile peace process and averting a return to large-scale

conflict, especially as the situation in neighboring Sudan escalates. The revitalized peace agreement is at a critical implementation stage, and international engagement, particularly from the United States, has been instrumental in maintaining pressure on parties to uphold their commitments and to prevent the risk of atrocities. U.S. leadership has long been central to peacebuilding efforts in South Sudan; maintaining a presence allows us to continue advocating for human rights, accountability, and inclusive governance in a country where millions remain vulnerable to violence and displacement.

Africa’s fragile transitions present a historic opportunity to reinforce America’s leadership, deter malign or negative actors, and advance the principles of freedom, prosperity, and security. Closing embassies in Bangui and Juba would squander years of investment, decrease oversight and accountability, destabilize key regions, and embolden competitors who do not share America’s interests or values.

We respectfully urge the Department of State to maintain—and where feasible, strengthen—the U.S. diplomatic footprint in these strategically important contexts. Doing so will advance American security, economic vitality, and international leadership in an era where both are increasingly contested.

Thank you for your attention to this urgent national security matter. We stand ready to support ongoing

U.S. diplomatic, peacebuilding, and stabilization efforts across Africa. We respectfully request a timely response to this letter and an opportunity to discuss.

Signed,

21 Wilberforce
Alliance for Peacebuilding
Association of Concerned Africa Scholars (USA) ACAS
Beafrika Foundation
CAR Diaspora Concordis International
Congolese Integration Network
Coptic Solidarity
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect
Global Ministries of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and United Church of Christ
Humanity United
Invisible Children
J. Mark Brinkmoeller, Assisi Strategy, Inc.
Lutheran Partners in Global Ministry
Minnesota Peace Project
Peace Direct
Scott Morgan, Co-Chair of the African Working Group IRF Roundtable Washington DC
Search for Common Ground
The Sentry
SEWA-USA

CC:

Sen. James Risch, Chair, Senate Foreign Relations Committee
Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, Ranking Member, Senate Foreign Relations Committee
Rep. Brian Mast, Chair, House Foreign Affairs Committee
Rep. Gregory Meeks, Ranking Member, House Foreign Affairs Committee
Sen. Lindsey Graham, Chair, Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs
Sen. Brian Schatz, Ranking Member, Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs
Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, Chair, House Appropriations Subcommittee on National Security, Department of State, and Related Programs
Rep. Lois Frankel, Ranking Member, House Appropriations Subcommittee on National Security, Department of State, and Related Programs