Myanmar army killed over 700 civilians in six months, UN says

The new UN report says the 702 civilian deaths over six months last year included 153 children. Myanmar army killed over 700 civilians in six months, UN says Watch: The young rebels fighting in Myanmar's civil war Copyright current_year BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. Copyright current_year BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. Min Aung Hlaing, the general who launched the 2021 military coup, is now president Myanmar's junta chief military Min Aung Hlaing arrives to deliver a speech during a ceremony to mark the country's Armed Forces Day in Naypyidaw in 2024. He is wearing a military outfit and standing in an open top green car. Myanmar's military was responsible for more than 700 civilian deaths over the six-month election period last year, the UN says. A new report covering from August to January says credible sources have verified a minimum of 702 people were killed, including 224 women and 153 children. It covers the six months from when the military - who waged a coup five years ago - announced elections, a process widely derided as a sham due to main opposition parties being excluded. The report warns a "decline in international assistance is further compounding the suffering of millions of people". Inside Myanmar, rebels are losing ground as military forces men into army The Myanmar military launched its coup in 2021, sparking a civil war where thousands of people were killed and millions displaced. Large areas of the country remain under the control of armed opposition groups. The report, from the UN's Human Rights Office, states that air strikes "remained the single largest cause of destruction and suffering". The region of Sagaing was the "most dangerous region for civilians as the military pressed to gain ground", with 191 deaths, including of 60 women and 30 children, the report says. During an attack in October 23 people, including four children, were killed and more than 60 others wounded when munitions struck civilians gathered in front of a school in Chaung-U, Sagaing. "At the time of the attack, participants were holding a candlelit event to celebrate the end of Buddhist Lent, and to call for the release of political prisoners, oppose military conscription and reject military elections," the report states. In December, it says a military aeroplane bombed a tea shop in Tabayin, Sagaing, as people had gathered to watch a football match, killing at least 19 and wounding 20 others. The report also references abuse of Rohingya people who have been exposed to forced recruitment by the Arakan Army, as well as to killings, arbitrary arrests and sexual violence. "As if the people of Myanmar have not suffered enough at the hands of the military, they have now seemingly been forgotten by those outside the country," UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk said. "Funding for localised protection efforts was in many areas the only solace from the suffering caused by constant targeting and indiscriminate attacks by the military. This pullback just compounds that injury." Sommerville and the young rebels on an open top vehicle driving through jungle The military seized power five years ago from the democratically elected government, jailing its leader Aung San Suu Kyi. More than two years ago, the rebels made a series of sweeping gains, but they have since been put on the back foot. Forced conscription and increased drone power has put the military on the offensive in most parts of the country. In April, Min Aung Hlaing, the general who launched the coup, became president. The election was a foregone conclusion, with many popular parties banned from standing and large areas of the country not allowed to participate because of the civil war. The parliament is filled with his loyalists. The armed forces are guaranteed one quarter of the seats, and the military's own party, the USDP, won nearly 80% of the remaining seats in an election which was tilted heavily in its favour. Min Aung Hlaing in military uniform with an unidentifiable soldier behind him Myanmar's coup leader who set off a brutal civil war becomes president BBC speaks to students from war-torn Myanmar who say they were cheated after paying to study abroad. The BBC’s Quentin Sommerville travels to Myanmar - without the permission of the authorities - to meet a group of rebel fighters. Myanmar is seeking to broaden diplomatic engagement after years of international criticism and isolation. Min Zin, a director at a Myanmar focused think tank, allegedly disappeared while he was in Kunming. The BBC travels with rebels to frontline positions in Myanmar to see how the war is unfolding. Insurgents say it was caused by explosives being used for mining close to the Chinese border. The Nobel Peace Prize laureate has been in detention since she was ousted in a military coup in 2021. Little has been heard of Myanmar's former leader since she was ousted in a military coup in 2021.