The Bago massacre was a mass killing of civilians on Friday, 9 April 2021, in the city of Bago, Myanmar. During the massacre, Myanmar Army troops and Myanmar Police Force officers killed at least eighty-two civilians. At the time, the massacre became the single deadliest domestic event to occur since the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, preceded by the Hlaingthaya massacre less than a month earlier. The Bago massacre accounted for nearly 40% of civilian casualties in April 2021. Background On 1 February 2021, the Myanmar Armed Forces staged a coup d'état and deposed the democratically elected government led by the National League for Democracy. Shortly thereafter, the military established a junta, the State Administration Council, and declared a national state of emergency. In response, civilians throughout the country, including Bago, staged large-scale protests to resist the military takeover. The thoroughfare of Magadit Road, which was dotted with homemade barricades erected by protesters, became a key protest stronghold in Bago. Incident In the weeks leading up to the massacre, the military junta had implemented a nightly internet shutdown in Bago. During the prior evening, a rumour of an impending military operation had widely circulated among locals. On the morning of 9 April 2021, internet, phone, and electricity services were disconnected in Bago, to hamper coordination and communication among protesters. At 4 am, the military launched operations with 250 soldiers raiding Bago's residential wards of Shinsawbu, Nantawya, Hmawkan, and Ponnasu, between Magadit and Sandawtwin Roads near the Kanbawzathadi Palace. Military forces blocked all of the city's main roads. By 5 am, security forces began indiscriminately shooting protesters with heavy weaponry as the forces removed ad-hoc roadblocks. Some civilians took defensive measures, launching fireworks and homemade projectiles at advancing forces. By 10 am, security forces had overtaken the last barricade on Sandawtwin Road, effectively establishing full control of the city. Security forces targeted volunteer medics during the massacre, and many victims died of excessive blood loss. Security forces used counterinsurgency tactics against civilians, which resulted in a high number of casualties. In the immediate aftermath, the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners reported at least 20 deaths. By the following day, the death toll had increased to 82. As of November 2021, at least 50 victims remained unidentified. Perpetrators The massacre was jointly executed by security forces from the Myanmar Army, including members of the 77th Light Infantry Division (LID), and the Myanmar Police