With hospitals in junta-run Myanmar empty of pro-democracy medical staff and coronavirus cases surging nationwide, volunteers are going house to house to collect the fast-rising number of victims dying in their homes.

In a clinic in a remote Myanmar town, some of the few doctors still working after the coup emptied hospitals are battling to keep their Covid-19 patients alive as the virus resurges. AFPTV footage from inside a clinic in the northwestern town of Kalay shows patients slumped in makeshift beds, oxygen canisters at their feet. Dozens of blue oxygen cylinders waiting to be refilled stretched along a street in Kalay, a town of 130,000, with rugged hills to the east and west. Meanwhile, on the edge of town a team unloads a coffin into a cemetery of white Christian crosses standing out against the deep green of the hills.

The UN's top human rights official condemned Myanmar's ruling military junta and said it was using "disproportionate force" against the opposition.

The villagers reportedly defended themselves with swords and home-made rifles against members of the ruling military junta. The soldiers "shot everything that moved," according to one resident.

Officials in Myanmar have said they are freeing 2,300 prisoners who had taken part in protests against the country's military rulers. No reason was given for the timing of their release.

Burmese opposition figure Dr Zaw Wai Soe is a surgeon who serves as minister of health, labour and education in Myanmar's self-proclaimed National Unity Government. He has been charged with treason by the ruling junta. In an interview with FRANCE 24, Dr Zaw said the opposition feels "helpless" and that the people of Myanmar are left with no other choice than to defend themselves. According to the UN, the junta has killed 883 unarmed civilians since the February 1 coup.

Violence broke out in Mandalay, Myanmar's second-largest city, as security forces battle an anti-junta militia. Four members of the militia are reported to be dead, while eight have been arrested.

Global aid organizations are warning of a looming humanitarian catastrophe in Myanmar. But many NGOs' hands are tied, with their activities, funding and legal status hampered by the country's political power struggle.

The trial of the ousted leader is hearing its first testimony in a junta court. Suu Kyi faces a widening array of charges such as flouting coronavirus rules and "illegally" importing walkie-talkies.

The military regime alleges the detained former leader accepted illegal payments. Suu Kyi is expected to go on trial next week.

UN envoy Tom Andrews said people in Kayah were in desperate need of food, water and other essential supplies. He also called on the international community to put pressure on the country's ruling military junta.

Experts say the EU's new sanctions against Myanmar raise questions over a contradiction in policy, which calls on ASEAN to take the lead in mediation. There is also concern over how effective the sanctions will be.