Bellingcat: using technology to investigate war crimes

The importance of technology in investigative journalism came to the fore in a panel hosted at the African Investigative Journalism Conference (AIJC).

By Kabir Jugram (Wits Centre for Journalism 2024 honours student)

Bellingcat hosted a panel discussion on October 30, 2024, the opening morning of the African Investigative Journalism Conference at Wits University, where they delved into their experiences of researching the war in Sudan.

A civil war has been ongoing in Sudan since April 15, 2023, between two rival factions: the Sudanese Armed Force (SAF) and Rapid Support Force (RSF). The two military groups are vying for control over Sudan in a conflict that has left thousands killed and millions displaced.

Bellingcat (an independent investigative research collective) has been investigating the ongoing war with the aim of verifying evidence of war crimes and identifying culprits to help build a case to bring the ICC and hold the war’s perpetrators accountable. “Finding and holding people accountable is the end goal, although this is a slow process,” said Eman El-Sherbiny, an investigator at Bellingcat.

El-Sherbiny has been investigating the impact of the war in the city of Al-Fashir, a densely populated city in Sudan’s province of North Dafur. Technology has so far been crucial in her investigation.

She made use of NASA’s Fire Information for Resource Management System (FIRMS) to identify areas that military groups were operating in. FIRMS can use satellite imagery to detect heat signals – including those emanating from airstrikes and heavy weaponry.

Furthermore, she has also been geolocating footage and pictures shared on social media of both RSF and SAF attacks to pinpoint their locations, verify the details of the attack and gather information of the attacks. Or in other words, to gather evidence of war crimes occurring.

This is often done through finding distinct figures within footage and trying to identify them via satellite. This then gives researchers a location to further investigate.

“You end up memorising things the more you look at them,” said El-Sherbiny when asked how she can distinguish between figures as common as trees when geolocating. She can detect distinct figures by looking at things as simple as the shape of their shadow on satellite footage.

But it is not only highly advanced technology that she makes use of in her investigations. Sometimes a simple Google reverse image search on footage can help her identify the specific weaponry the military groups are using.

Ultimately, the advanced technology available to El-Sherbiny at Bellingcat has enabled her to identify war crimes, gather in-depth information about both the RSF and SAF and track atrocities committed in Sudan without having to endanger her life.