Myanmar's military was responsible for a minimum of 702 civilian deaths between August and January, according to a UN report. The verified civilian deaths included 224 women and 153 children.

Air strikes remained the single largest cause of destruction and suffering, the UN report states. The report covers the six-month period from when the military announced elections.

The Sagaing region experienced the highest number of civilian deaths, with 191 reported, including 60 women and 30 children. In October, munitions struck civilians gathered in front of a school in Chaung-U, Sagaing. This incident resulted in 23 deaths, including four children, and wounded more than 60 others. Participants in the Chaung-U event were holding a candlelit gathering to celebrate the end of Buddhist Lent, call for the release of political prisoners, oppose military conscription, and reject military elections.

In December, a military aeroplane bombed a tea shop in Tabayin, Sagaing. This bombing killed at least 19 people and wounded 20 others. People had gathered at the tea shop to watch a football match at the time of the bombing.

The UN report also referenced the abuse of Rohingya people, detailing forced recruitment by the Arakan Army, killings, arbitrary arrests, and sexual violence. UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk commented on the situation. "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," 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," Türk said. "This pullback just compounds that injury."

The military seized power from the democratically elected government five years ago. Following the coup, the military jailed former leader Aung San Suu Kyi. Min Aung Hlaing, the general who launched the 2021 military coup, became president in April. The military's party, the USDP, won nearly 80% of the remaining seats in the election, while main opposition parties were excluded.