THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 2026 55 Across the city, embassy and USAID mission staff sheltered behind compound walls with their families, monitoring radio traffic and waiting. They heard my radio calls, heard me report that my gate had been breached by demonstrators. Far from embassy security services, in a city with impassable roads, they called their children inside and secured their doors, waiting for instructions. Later that afternoon, as the situation in the city stabilized, the deputy chief of mission (DCM) convened an Emergency Action Committee, and the ambassador approved its recommendation: immediate evacuation of all nonemergency personnel and their dependents. The evacuation route had been rehearsed several times. All staff and their families were to go to the DCM’s residence before moving in groups to the river docks, where small boats would carry them across the Congo River to relative safety in neighboring Republic of the Congo (Brazzaville). The plan was straightforward. The execution, beginning at 2 a.m. on January 29, was not as smooth. e The first complication had already occurred before the protests began. On January 27, most senior USAID leadership in Washington had been placed on administrative leave. In the preceding week, the new administration had systematically restricted USAID’s operational and financial systems, locking controllers and financial staff out of the payment platforms that govern everything from procurement to emergency reimbursements. By the time the evacuation was ordered, USAID had been badly hobbled at a system-wide level. There were almost no officials in Washington with both the authority and the system access to support USAID’s share of the operation. Emergency support meetings in Washington that would normally have been filled with experienced and specialized staff dwindled rapidly as participants lost access or were directed to stand down. The dedicated staff who remained did what they could, but they operated in a near-vacuum of leadership, authority, and tools. e The DCM’s residence told its own story. Anxious adults, children of all ages, toddlers, dogs, and cats covered every available surface, trying to rest before their group was called. The evacuation had begun at 2 a.m. and no one had slept meaningfully the night before. The air in the house was thick with exhaustion and worry. Potable water ran low. Evacuation instructions had been clear: Bring one carry-on bag or backpack per person. Only what you can fit in your lap. Some families used their single bag to bring a pet. Others had to leave animals behind. Many evacuees had winter coats tied around their waists, an incongruous sight in the equatorial heat of Kinshasa, but everyone on those docks understood they were heading to Washington, D.C., in late January. e Each river crossing took less than 10 minutes. On the far side, staff from U.S. Embassy Brazzaville were doing their best to support this sudden and overwhelming influx. In Brazzaville, evacuees were housed in hotels overnight as the full weight of what had happened began to settle. Children who had been managing on adrenaline started to cry, from exhaustion, from confusion, from missing a parent who had stayed behind. U.S. embassy family members on the Congo River arriving in Brazzaville. COURTESY OF JOHN DUNLOP
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