Ambassador Larry E. Andre arrives in Mogadishu

The US Embassy in Somalia has announced the arrival of Ambassador Larry E. Andre. He is a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, class of Minister-Counselor, previously served as Ambassador, U.S. Embassy Djibouti; Ambassador, U.S. Embassy Nouakchott; Chargé d’Affaires, U.S. Embassy South Sudan; Deputy Chief of Mission, U.S. Embassy Dar es Salaam; Political Counselor, U.S. Embassy Nairobi; Deputy Chief of Mission, U.S. Embassy Freetown; Regional Environment Officer for East Africa covering 14 countries from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; and Management Officer at U.S. Embassy Conakry. 

He also served at U.S. Missions to Iraq, Bangladesh, Cameroon, and Nigeria.  He served domestically as Director, Office of the Special Envoy for Sudan and South Sudan; Deputy Director, African Affairs Bureau’s Executive Office, and as Deputy Director, Office of West African Affairs.

Prior to joining the Foreign Service, Ambassador André worked in Chad on post-war reconstruction and served both as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Senegal and as Peace Corps staff in Washington, DC.  He holds an International M.B.A. from Arizona State University/Thunderbird School of Global Management (1988) and a B.A. in Political Science from Claremont McKenna College (1983). He speaks French.  He, his wife Ouroukou, and their son Isidore reside in Caldwell County, Texas.

Prior Somalia Experience:  Ambassador André had responsibility for Somali Affairs when he served as Political Counselor at U.S. Embassy Nairobi, Kenya (2006-08), representing the United States at international conferences on the Somalia peace process and regularly meeting with Somali leaders.  He set up the Somali Affairs Unit in 2007, which eventually evolved into U.S. Mission Somalia.  In 2001, when he served at U.S. Embassy Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, he visited Puntland, northern Somalia.