Articles

One month ago extreme sectarian violence engulfed the Syrian coast. Assad loyalists attacked the new Syrian government security forces, looking for revenge for the ousting of Assad. Government security forces and affiliated armed groups in return descended on the area. The Alawite community, to which Assad belonged, was blamed for the attempted uprising. Countless videos of mass killings emerged. CIR collaborated with Syrian Archive to investigate what happened.

Satellite imagery shows how fire, shelling and airstrikes have wrecked towns, cities and villages in resistance strongholds throughout the country.

Satellite imagery and videos shared on social media lay bare the scale of damage to croplands, fishing vessels, markets and the Port of Gaza, while analysis uncovers potential signs of siege tactics, aid disruption, and starvation as a means of warfare.

Satellite image analysis reveals how a rapid expansion of mining sites in the country’s northeast has altered the region’s physical landscape. The impacts are devastating – for both the environment and local communities.

Designed as a resource for researchers, journalists, and the public, the new hub aims to raise awareness and increase access to gender-focused, open source research on a range of countries and contexts.

Journalists face immense challenges reporting on women’s rights inside Afghanistan. But newsrooms and researchers are leveraging open source techniques to investigate topics such as gender-based violence – shining a light on a range of underreported issues.

When Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, open source investigative techniques – or OSINT – entered the mainstream, with journalists and analysts around the world turning to these tools to track troop movements and investigate potential war crimes. Three years on, we ask CIR staff how OSINT has altered perceptions of the war and shaped reporting.

Open source data reveals the devastation to critical infrastructure and services in Ukraine, with schools, hospitals and energy facilities among the buildings and structures damaged since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine three years ago.

Since the 2021 coup, CIR’s Myanmar Witness project has been collecting and analysing data which shows cases of extreme violence and destruction throughout the country. According to Myanmar Witness’ findings, Myanmar’s central-northwestern Sagaing region is most heavily affected by the internal conflict, repeatedly showing the highest levels of violence in the entire country. This makes Sagaing the so-called “epicentre” of Myanmar’s conflict and a region facing an urgent humanitarian crisis. We explain:

On 1 February 2021, the military launched a coup d'état in Myanmar. Within hours, General Min Aung Hlaing seized power and arrested elected leaders, overthrowing Aung San Suu Kyi’s democratically elected government.

Israel and Hamas have agreed to a ceasefire in Gaza and a hostage release deal. It is the most significant breakthrough in 15 months of war – with the parties struggling to come to an agreement until now. We explain the key terms of the deal and why open source monitoring of the situation remains critical.

Videos shared on social media can provide vital evidence for open source investigators, but a clampdown on filming in some conflicts has resulted in less user-generated content surfacing. CIR explores the consequences.