US President Donald Trump said he had replaced Secretary of State Rex Tillerson with Mike Pompeo, Director of the CIA and that Gina Haspel would become the new director of the CIA
Former ExxonMobil chief Tillerson, who has been on a tour of Africa, said on Monday that the US was considering lifting a travel ban on Chad.
Unconfirmed reports suggest Mr Tillerson may have been aware of his dismissal while still travelling in Africa.
The move comes one week after Gary Cohn quit as the top economic adviser of an administration that has been plagued by personnel changes. Cohn, seen as a business-friendly voice left after the president announced tariffs on steel and aluminium imports.
"Mike Pompeo, Director of the CIA, will become our new Secretary of State. He will do a fantastic job! Thank you to Rex Tillerson for his service! Gina Haspel will become the new Director of the CIA, and the first woman so chosen. Congratulations to all!" Trump said on Twitter.
At this stage, it is unclear what Mr Pompeo's appointment will mean for US-Africa relations.
The list of others who have left the administration includes Steve Bannon, national security adviser Michael Flynn, FBI director James Comey, White House chief of staff Reince Priebus, health secretary Tom Price, communications directors Hope Hicks, Anthony Scaramucci and press secretary Sean Spicer.
