After almost two months of civil disobedience, at least 31 people were killed in clashes between the National Police and indigenous people in Bagua province, Peru.

The 2009 Peruvian political crisis resulted from the ongoing opposition to oil development in the Peruvian Amazon by local Indigenous peoples; they protested Petroperú and confronted the National Police. At the forefront of the movement to resist the development was Interethnic Association for the Development of the Peruvian Rainforest, a coalition of indigenous community organizations in the region.

The National Police of Peru is the national police force of Peru. Its jurisdiction covers the nation's land, sea, and air territories. Formed from the merger of the Investigative Police, the Civil Guard, and the Republican Guard in 1988, it is one of the largest police forces in Latin America. Its mission is to preserve domestic order, public order and national security, in order to enforce the law and protect the people of Peru. The PNP is controlled by the Ministry of the Interior. The PNP has a number of divisions, tasked with enforcing specific aspects of the law; among the more well known are DIROES, DIRANDRO, DIRINCRI, and DIRCOTE (Anti-Terrorism).

Bagua is a province of the Amazonas Region in Peru. It is located in the north and central part of the department of Amazonas. The region is known for its rugged terrain. It is also cut by deep gorges that have been formed by the important rivers that cross this province, as well as their numerous tributaries.