Mail & Guardian
Mail & Guardian
Francesco Fontemaggi

Creator

Francesco Fontemaggi

Francesco Fontemaggi is a diplomatic correspondent for Agence France Presse in Washington, D.C. His work has also appeared in MSN, Business Insider, Channel 7, Seven News, Yahoo, Le Figaro, and France 24

US President Donald Trump (Kevin Lamarque/Reuters)

Historic Trump impeachment trial to begin in earnest

President Donald Trump’s historic impeachment trial begins in earnest on Tuesday in the Senate, with Democrats calling for his removal from office and Republicans determined to…

US President Joe Biden. (Reuters/Kevin Lamarque)

Biden bids to quell storm over campaign trail kiss

The New York Post ran a gallery of photographs of Biden’s "most touchy-feely moments," embracing and kissing women at public events over the years

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP/Getty Images)

Pompeo on diplomatic tightrope in Saudi talks over Khashoggi murder

The top US diplomat held talks with King Salman and his son Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman

Saudi Arabia’s King Salman bin Abdulaziz meets with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/Pool via Reuters)

Pompeo on diplomatic tightrope in Saudi talks over Khashoggi murder

The US Secretary of State walks a diplomatic tightrope amid pressure from American lawmakers for a tough response on Jamal Khashoggi’s murder

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo

US to impose ‘strongest sanctions in history’ on Iran

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani dismissed the threats, saying the rest of the world no longer accepts Washington making decisions on their behalf

G20 finance doctors seek to define symptoms

G20 ministers aim to hammer out common criteria for measuring global economic imbalances at a gathering on Friday and Saturday.

Fierce fighting, bodies in the streets in Ndjamena

Fierce fighting with tanks and helicopter strikes rocked the capital of Chad for a second day on Sunday as rebels surrounded President Idriss Déby Itno in his palace and hundreds…

Ndjamena ‘in the hands of rebels’

Rebels seized Chad’s capital, Ndjamena, on Saturday after intense fighting with government forces, military and rebel sources said, as President Idriss Déby Itno remained holed…

Rebels advance on Chadian capital

Fighting broke out between Chadian rebels and government forces just north of the capital on Saturday, both sides said, as France prepared to evacuate its nationals in the face…

Scattered plane parts and a solitary shoe

Rescuers began the grisly task of removing bodies from the wreckage of a Kenyan Airways plane lying in swamps of south-west Cameroon on Monday after a crash that killed all 114…

Déby heads for victory as rebels threaten new unrest

Idriss Déby Itno seemed assured on Thursday of re-election as Chad’s president, but the expected victory has already been clouded by new threats of violence by armed rebels in…

Observers: Sudan supports Chad rebels

Chadian rebels who advanced on the capital in a fleet of brand-new Toyotas had clear support from Sudan, which wants to replace President Idriss Déby Itno with a pro-Sudanese…

Rights groups cry foul as Ethiopia prepares for poll

As Ethiopia prepares for weekend elections, its human rights record has come under increasing criticism from watchdogs who believe the poll has already been marred by myriad…

DRC forces take back Bukavu

Government forces in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) took back the eastern provincial capital of Bukavu without a fight on Wednesday, to the jubilation of residents, a…

Dissident troops gather in DRC

Dissident troops who this week overran the east Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) town of Bukavu were gathering in and around the town Friday, a day after their leader promised…

Kabila accuses Rwanda of backing rebels

President Joseph Kabila accused neighbouring Rwanda of being behind the renegade soldiers who on Wednesday captured a provincial capital in the volatile east of the Democratic…

‘I control the town of Bukavu’

The peace process in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) suffered a major blow on Wednesday when renegade soldiers captured a provincial capital in the volatile east of the…

Where rape is a weapon

After raping teenaged Marie, three uniformed soldiers left her in a forest in Democratic Republic of Congo’s South Kivu province, where sexual violence is widespread. ”With the…