The United States, France, and Russia are the three countries whose embassies in Madagascar are currently led by acting chargés d’affaires. These three nations maintain some of the largest diplomatic missions on the island in terms of size and personnel.
For the United States and Russia, whose ambassadors completed their missions in Madagascar in January and February respectively, their diplomatic representations have been led by chargés d’affaires for several months. Yesterday, the U.S. Embassy announced the arrival of its new acting chargé d’affaires, Mélanie Harris Higgins, who replaces Stéphanie Arnold, whose mission ended a few days ago.
At the Russian Embassy, Alexeï Buriak has held the title of acting chargé d’affaires since February. So far, there is no indication of when the U.S. or Russia will appoint new ambassadors to the island. For the U.S., the Trump administration appears to be taking its time in appointing new heads for its diplomatic missions in certain African countries, including Madagascar.
Regarding Russia, the absence of an ambassador for several months raises questions, given the strong rapprochement between the Kremlin and Antananarivo since the military took power. As for France, the departure of the previous ambassador, Arnaud Guillois, whose mandate recently ended, means the Ambatomena embassy will be led by a chargé d’affaires while awaiting his successor.
Unlike the Russian or U.S. embassies, the French Embassy is not expected to be without an ambassador for long. Since May, the name of Jean-Marc Grosgurin has been reported by French-speaking media as the future French ambassador to the island. According to reports, the accreditation process for the new resident of the French residence in Ivandry has already been initiated with the Malagasy authorities.
Captured & Published at: 2026-07-22 05:41:39 (Madagascar Local Time EAT)
Original Source: https://www.lexpress.mg/2026/07/diplomatie-des-charges-daffaires-la.html