A recent investigation has utilised satellite imagery to document the destruction of Rohingya villages and the construction of detention and labour camps in western Myanmar since 2024. The investigation, which was published last week, focused on a remote area where phone lines and internet access have been down for years, making traditional reporting difficult.
Journalists corroborated the satellite imagery with eyewitness testimony from sources who had sought refuge in Bangladesh, as well as NASA fire data and conflict data. This multi-source approach aimed to verify the destruction, confirm the systematic nature of the damage, and ensure the villages were indeed Rohingya settlements.
Challenges encountered during the investigation included difficulties in obtaining regular, high-quality satellite images due to the remote location and potential obstructions like cloud cover. Journalists also had to carefully distinguish between destruction related to conflict and changes caused by agricultural activities.