Booth initially served in a number of diplomatic posts, including Economic Counselor in Athens, Division Chief of Bilateral Trade Affairs at the State Department, International Relations Officer in the Office of Eastern European Affairs, desk officer for the Office of Egyptian Affairs and the Office of East African Affairs, and various positions at the U.S. embassies to Romania, Gabon, Liberia, and Belgium. Immediately prior to his appointment as ambassador to Liberia in 2005, he had served as Deputy Director of the Office of Southern African Affairs, Director of the Office of West African Affairs, and Director of the Office of Technical and Specialized Agencies in the State Department's Bureau of International Organization Affairs. Booth was appointed Ambassador to Liberia by George W. Bush in 2005; he was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on June 16, 2005, and arrived in Liberia on July 29. On June 4, 2008, he was confirmed as the new U.S. ambassador to Zambia. He left his post in Liberia on July 11, and took up the post in Zambia on September 19. He was nominated to become Ambassador to Ethiopia by President Barack Obama on December 9, 2009, and was confirmed by the U.S. Senate. He was nominated to become the U.S. Special Envoy to Sudan and South Sudan by President Obama on Wednesday, August 28, 2013. Booth served as the US Envoy to Sudan and South Sudan until 2017. He led the U.S. government's effort to "normalize relations" with the genocidal regime in Sudan and repeatedly worked to make it easier for Sudan to comply with the U.S. requirements to lift sanctions on Sudan. In South Sudan, Booth oversaw U.S. policy that sidelined Vice President Riek Machar and solidified U.S. support for President Salva Kiir despite Kiir's continued efforts to thwart peace efforts and sponsorship of mass atrocities. Sidelining Machar and saying that he should not return to Juba exacerbated the conflict, solidified Kiir's ruling authority, and was a tacit endorsement of Kiir's military's continued human rights abuses and atrocities committed against the South Sudanese people. The Trump administration re-appointed Donald Booth to be the Special Envoy for Sudan on June 10, 2019 and announced his appointment two days later.
