Methodology
Scope and sources
This project documents massacres attributed to the Myanmar military, acting alone or with affiliated forces, from March 14, 2021 through September 24, 2026.
For this project, “affiliated forces” refers to police units, militias, and other armed groups reported to have acted with or in support of the Myanmar military during a documented massacre. Affiliated forces are not coded as separate categories in the dataset. When a report identifies a specific group, that information can be found in the linked source.
A massacre is defined as an attack or closely connected series of attacks in which at least five civilians or other people not taking an active part in hostilities were killed.
The dataset is based on publicly available reporting from news organizations, civil society groups, local authorities, and armed actors. When reports give different fatality totals, the lowest figure supported by the sources is recorded.
A mass killing means one connected incident with at least five recorded fatalities. Records are based on publicly available reporting. When sources give different fatality totals, the lowest supported figure is used.
Counting incidents
Each documented massacre is counted as one incident in the dataset. A connected military operation is counted as one incident even when it affects several villages. Fatalities from continuous airstrikes on nearby villages are combined when reports link them to the same operation. One affected village is used as the representative map point and may not show every location affected.
When bodies found in different places are linked to the same military column or operation, they are counted as one incident. If the killing date is unknown, the date the bodies were discovered is used as the incident date.
Primary method
Each incident is recorded under one primary killing method. When several methods were used, the method linked to the most fatalities was selected. Other reported methods remain in the incident notes.
Who is included?
Recorded fatalities include civilians and other people reported to have been unarmed, detained, wounded, or otherwise unable to fight when killed. This may include resistance members and captured members of the Myanmar military or affiliated forces.
Attacks on resistance positions are included when no active clash was reported and available accounts did not describe the victims as actively fighting. Attacks on places holding captured military-affiliated personnel are also included. Claims that an attack was intended to kill detainees or destroy evidence are recorded as source claims, not as independently established facts.
Age and gender
Children are under 18. Adults are 18 or older. “Gender not identified” means the victim’s gender could not be established from the available reports.
“Gender not identified” means the sources did not state the victim's gender.
Legal purpose and limitations
“Massacre”(1) is used here as a descriptive term. The information documented in this project is intended to preserve a public record and support future investigations and accountability efforts concerning possible war crimes or crimes against humanity. Final legal findings and individual criminal responsibility must be determined by a competent court or tribunal.
This project relies on public reporting and does not replace a formal investigation. These figures reflect the evidence available as of September 24, 2026. Some massacres and fatalities may remain unreported or impossible to verify.
Locations are approximate and are mapped at the most specific reported location available, down to the village level where possible. All fatality totals represent documented minimums.