Hi, I’m walnut. I will share the results of Sofia’s OSINT Exercise challenge today.
Task briefing:
The refugee crisis in Central Africa has been ongoing for decades. With millions of people fleeing violence, humanitarian agencies play a critical role by providing assistance, including emergency shelters. The video below, published in October 2007, shows the situation in a refugee camp in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The structures seen in the footage are long gone, as the conflict in the region waxes and wanes. Geolocating temporary accommodations is often challenging, as satellite images are scarce and the situation on the ground volatile. It is, however, still possible.
My task is to determine:
a) Find the exact location of the white tent seen in the video below at the 1:16 minute mark.
⚠️ Please be aware that this exercise may expose you to distressing content, as refugee camps often harbour people in vulnerable and difficult conditions.
Walkthrough
Information gathering
First, information that can be obtained from the video will be examined. The screenshot below is taken from the video at 1:16, and the goal is to accurately indicate the location of the white tent shown below.
This video was published by UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, and, as stated, it was released in October 2017.
Additionally, it can be seen that the video description contains information about locations such as “Democratic Republic of the Congo,” “North Kivu,” and “Eastern Province.”
Clashes in Democratic Republic of the Congo’s North Kivu province continues to force people to flee. The violence in the eastern province has also hampered efforts to bring aid to the most needy, with some roads and entire villages cut off by fighting. The displaced are in need of shelter and UNHCR is now constructing new camps. To see more videos like this one go to the UNHCR channel on www.Livestation.com
At the beginning of the video, “North Kivu” is mentioned, indicating that this video is set in the North Kivu province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It can also be inferred that the approximate time when this video was filmed is 2007.
Furthermore, it can be narrowed down that the location is near a lake, which is consistent with the video’s mention of “the eastern province.”
Estimating the approximate location based on UNHCR records
Records from UNHCR regarding North Kivu from 2007 were searched. (Google Search: “North Kivu” “Camp” site:www.unhcr.org, from Jan 1, 2007 to Dec 31, 2007)
Buhimba is the second camp developed by UNHCR for IDPs in the Mugunga area and it can accommodate more than 10,000 people. Bulengo, the first camp, reached its capacity of 10,000 IDPs at the end of September.
- https://www.unhcr.org/news/briefing-notes/drc-transfers-displaced-begin-north-kivu
to the new camp at Buhimba, six kilometres west of Goma, the main town in the area.
- https://www.unhcr.org/africa/news/unhcr-moves-displaced-new-camp-north-kivu
The latest escalation in fighting in North Kivu province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has forced thousands more people to flee southwards towards Goma and across the border into Uganda.
- https://www.unhcr.org/news/thousands-flee-uganda-escape-north-kivu-fighting
Our registration work in the six IDP camps close to Goma indicates there are some 45,000 IDPs now in those sites.
- https://www.unhcr.org/my/news/briefing-notes/drc-north-kivu-fighting-forcing-thousands-neighbouring-uganda
in the 8th Military Region of North-Kivu at Mushaki (Goma) and Nyaleke (Beni)
- https://www.refworld.org/reference/countryrep/amnesty/2007/en/36074
Based on this information, it is likely that the location is a refugee camp in the Goma area.
Verification of whether it is the Bulengo refugee camp
Looking around the lake in Goma, it can be seen that there is a refugee camp in Bulengo.
However, the resolution of Google Earth around 2007 is poor, making it difficult to confirm whether it was indeed a camp. By shifting the timeline to 2014, a more recognizable appearance of the camp can be observed.
It is necessary to confirm whether this is indeed the correct location. If it is different, there should be information available to indicate that.
By changing the search keywords and time frame while searching on Google, the following video was found.
※ This search utilized the information obtained so far as keywords and tried various combinations.
UNHCR tents can be confirmed, and a person wearing the same clothing as those in the provided video can be seen in a Pond5 video. Pond5 suggests another video under “Similar Videos From Artist,” which allows for the confirmation that it is the same individual.
Since it is confirmed that the video is from 2007, this aligns with the previous information, allowing for the conclusion that it is a refugee camp in Bulengo.
Identification of the specific location
By comparing the two snapshots provided in the exercise, it can be seen that the features of the door of the white tent match. This means that the hill visible behind the tent can be used to help identify the location of the tent.
After that, I found a photo taken of the same hill.
Fortunately, the image on this site retains EXIF data, allowing me to confirm when it was taken.
From this, it can be seen that the trees growing on the hill from 2007 to 2014 can be used as a distinguishing feature.
Subsequently, I compared an aerial photo taken in 2008 with Google Earth. Since the aerial photo was taken in 2008, the features of the hill can be utilized. Therefore, the location with the same hill characteristics near the Bulengo refugee camp can be uniquely identified.
Since there’s no evidence of the trees at the bottom of the hill being cut down until 2014, considering this helped identify the tent’s location.
※ The rectangle in the following image was drawn just for the screenshot, so its size is not accurate.
Answer
a) 1°37'25"S 29°07'42"E
Thank you for reading.
