For some time now, El Fasher in Sudan has been a city beyond the reach of journalists. But the haunting satellite image on our cover this week, of smoke billowing from fires near El Fasher’s airport, told its own story as starkly as anything that could be reported from the ground.
Other satellite images showed clusters of burned-out vehicles, and what appeared to be pools of blood beside piles of bodies on the ground. A massacre was under way that could be seen from space.
The last major city in Darfur to fall to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) was already the scene of catastrophic levels of human suffering, but has “descended into an even darker hell”, senior UN officials warned last week. This key moment in the two-and-a-half-year-long civil war has unfolded in plain sight with minimal intervention from the international community, unless you count the United Arab Emirates, which has been arming the RSF paramilitaries.
This week’s big story tells the tale of a massacre foretold, with detailed reporting from Rachel Savage and Carlos Mureithi, while Nesrine Malik’s scathing commentary challenges the world not to look away at a moment when hundreds of thousands of lives are at risk.
This week’s edition of the Weekly went to press before Zohran Mamdani’s historic victory in the New York City mayoral election. There’ll be plenty of analysis and reaction in next week’s edition, but for now you can catch up with the latest online coverage from our Guardian US team here.
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Five essential reads in this week’s edition
Spotlight | The Andrew formerly known as a prince
Stupidity and self-entitlement sank King Charles III’s disgraced younger brother – and the royal reckoning may not be over yet, writes Stephen Bates
Technology | What if the internet just … stopped working?
Could everything suddenly go offline and if so, how? Aisha Down goes inside the fragile system holding the modern world together
Interview | Margaret Atwood puts the world to rights
At 85, she’s a literary seer and saint – and queen of the Canadian resistance. So what does the writer make of our dystopian society? Lisa Allardice finds out
Opinion | World leaders: Cop30 could be your great legacy
With the US backing away from the climate crisis, now is the moment when other nations must step up, says former British prime minister Gordon Brown
Culture | Back to black with Lynne Ramsay
The Scottish film director burst on to the scene with Ratcatcher and terrified audiences with We Need to Talk About Kevin. Her latest film stars Hollywood darling Jennifer Lawrence, but it doesn’t flinch from the dark side of family life, finds Amy Raphael
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What else we’ve been reading
• Lily Allen’s early tracks offered raw and honest depictions of navigating womanhood, something that resonates even more now that I’ve recently turned 25. Gaby Hinsliff’s insightful piece on Allen’s new album provides a relatable deep dive, proving the sentiment of her music remains powerfully true. Michelle Lane, CRM intern
• She was the rock at the back for the England women’s football team – but then things went pear-shaped for Mary Earps. In a terrific interview with Donald McRae, accompanied by extracts from her new autobiography, the goalkeeper talks candidly about depression, alcohol, and an eating disorder, as well as her deteriorating relationship with Lionesses manager Sarina Wiegman. Graham Snowdon, editor
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Other highlights from the Guardian website
• Audio | Tony Blair, Jacinda Ardern, Julia Gillard – revelations from the chiefs of staff to the powerful
• Video | How gen Z used Discord to overthrow governments – explainer
• Gallery | ‘Was I fully grasping these events?’ Everyday life for Afghans
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