Nowadays, most of the journalism that we get to witness is people sitting in AC rooms and deciding what the “nation wants to know”. Gone are the days where eminent professionals dug deep to unearth the truth even if it risked their lives and careers. And, by the looks of it, no amount of public outrage is going to change their approach. However, in these dark times, BBC Africa shone as a bright example of investigative journalism.
BBC Africa recently posted a thread about a viral video that had some gory killings in it. And with one tweet at a time, they showed that with a thirst to know the truth and proper knowledge about technology, false claims can be obliterated.
1. It always begins with a viral video.
THREAD
In July 2018, a horrifying video began to circulate on social media.
2 women & 2 young children are led away by a group of soldiers. They are blindfolded, forced to the ground, and shot 22 times. #BBCAfricaEye investigated this atrocity. This is what we found… pic.twitter.com/oFEYnTLT6z
— BBC News Africa (@BBCAfrica) September 24, 2018
2. Warning: Disturbing video. Viewer discretion is advised.
Immediately, a fierce debate began on social media.
Some said this happened in Cameroon. Others said it was Mali. pic.twitter.com/hbhM2hzEYu
— BBC News Africa (@BBCAfrica) September 24, 2018
3. This is where it gets interesting.
So we took a closer look at the video…and found clues that prove the government was wrong.
We’ll start with the location. Where did this happen?
The first 40 seconds of the video capture a mountain range with a distinctive profile pic.twitter.com/Eb70XuGL8I
— BBC News Africa (@BBCAfrica) September 24, 2018
4. That’s a great combination of information and technology.
It places the scene on a dirt road outside a town called Zelevet, in the Far North of Cameroon, close to the border with Nigeria.
This is the region where Cameroonian soldiers are fighting the jihadist group Boko Haram. pic.twitter.com/9tmS8hPie3
— BBC News Africa (@BBCAfrica) September 24, 2018
5. And they had a location.
Putting all this evidence together, we can say with certainty that the killings happened herehttps://t.co/ION682W82n pic.twitter.com/kF0CM0KHbr
— BBC News Africa (@BBCAfrica) September 24, 2018
6. Analysing the timeline.
The video also shows this building. Satellite images show us that, by February 2016, it had been demolished.
The killings happened before February 2016. pic.twitter.com/EdBqLQHStE
— BBC News Africa (@BBCAfrica) September 24, 2018
7. This is simply astounding.
Notice that the soldiers, like moving sundials, cast shadows on the track.
A simple formula tells us the angle and direction of the sun.
This corroborates our conclusion on the date, and narrows the timeframe further: the killings happened between March 20 and April 5th 2015 pic.twitter.com/KC8HEvKFuS
— BBC News Africa (@BBCAfrica) September 24, 2018
8. But that’s not all.
The government’s July statement claimed that the guns seen in the video are not those used by Cameroonian troops.
But this is a Serbian-made Zastava M21. It’s rare in sub-Saharan Africa, but it *is* used by some divisions of the Cameroonian army. pic.twitter.com/vZ6xdwpC5O
— BBC News Africa (@BBCAfrica) September 24, 2018
9. Every single uniform has something distinctive about them.
The govt also asked why the soldiers in the video were not wearing full combat gear – heavy helmets, bulletproof vests, and rangers boots.
The answer is that they were not out on patrol. They were just a few hundred metres away from this combat outpost pic.twitter.com/lBsnabqXyr
— BBC News Africa (@BBCAfrica) September 24, 2018
10. And the Government started to feel the heat.
In August, there was a sudden change in the govt’s position.
After weeks of denying that these killings took place in Cameroon, the Minister of Communication announced that 7 members of the military had been arrested and were under investigation. pic.twitter.com/21idCm0MI4
— BBC News Africa (@BBCAfrica) September 24, 2018
11. In the age of information, one just have to look in the right places.
We found a Facebook profile that links the nickname 'Tchotcho' to a soldier called Cyriaque Bityala.
The name Cyriaque Bityala also appears on the government’s list of men now under investigation. pic.twitter.com/gSN6HMlV0W
— BBC News Africa (@BBCAfrica) September 24, 2018
12. Finally, an official confirmation!
At the end of the video, we see him again – blindfolding the litte girl he is about to kill.
A few seconds later, he draws his weapon and opens fire. pic.twitter.com/YB341xENfA
— BBC News Africa (@BBCAfrica) September 24, 2018
13. The details were beginning to line up.
Although we were not able to confirm this identification, a very similar name – Barnabas Donossou – appeared 11 days later in the government’s list of men now under investigation. pic.twitter.com/KNvdDVib6o
— BBC News Africa (@BBCAfrica) September 24, 2018
14. Code names are not much use when one’s showing their face.
As the women and children are killed, “Cobra” is the last man still firing into the bodies.
A colleague calls out “Tsanga, leave it, they’re dead.”
When he keeps firing, they call again: “That’s enough, Tsanga.” pic.twitter.com/qy9tFhwhvS
— BBC News Africa (@BBCAfrica) September 24, 2018
15. BBC did their job quite efficiently.
We put these finding to the government of Cameroon, who said that 7 soldiers have been arrested, disarmed, and imprisoned while under investigation. pic.twitter.com/3zwlmMlaxe
— BBC News Africa (@BBCAfrica) September 24, 2018
16. But the same can’t be said about the Government of Cameroon?
The two women killed outside Zelevet received no trial at all.
No presumption of innocence was extended to the children who died with them. pic.twitter.com/WG7SFjQ9ml
— BBC News Africa (@BBCAfrica) September 24, 2018
In the 21st century, real and fake news is mixed up in such a manner that we never get to know what’s the truth. But it’s a journalist’s job to clear the smokescreen and help us gain clarity. And BBC Africa has shown how that’s done. So, let’s hope other news channels take their example and work towards a goal that’s greater than petty politics.