The new U.S. Ambassador to Benin, Brian Shukan, presented his credential letter to the President of the Republic of Benin Patrice Talon on May 5 at the Presidency in Cotonou.
In his meeting with President Talon, Ambassador Shukan outlined his priorities for continuing to work closely with Benin to help all Beninese reach their full potential and to help Benin address growing security concerns.
“As I shared with President Talon, one of President Biden’s top priorities is to reinforce democracy both in the United States and around the world,” he said.”
Ambassador Shukan is the twentieth U.S. Ambassador to Benin since the United States established diplomatic relations with Benin more than 61 years ago.
Ambassador Shukan served previously at the U.S. Embassy in Benin in the 1990s. Most recently, he was the U.S. Chief of Mission in Khartoum. Prior to Khartoum, he was Director of the Office of the Special Envoy for Sudan and South Sudan at the U.S. Department of State; served from 2014-2017 as Chargé d’Affaires and Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Port-au-Prince, Haiti; and from 2011 to 2014, he served as Principal Officer at the U.S. Consulate General in Casablanca, Morocco.
For Ambassador Shukan’s full biography, visit https://bj.usembassy.gov/embassy/cotonou/ambassador/ .
