29/08/2025
Chittagong Hill Tracts Conflict and Displacement: A Long Struggle for Peace and Justice
The Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT), a hilly frontier region bordering India and Myanmar, has for decades been one of Bangladesh’s most volatile conflict zones. What began as a demand for autonomy and recognition of Indigenous rights in the newly independent country in 1971 spiraled into a two-decade armed conflict, large-scale displacement, systematic human rights violations, and unresolved tensions that continue to simmer well into 2025.
This report examines the phases of the conflict, the waves of displacement, and the recurring patterns of violence that haunt the Indigenous Jumma peoples of the CHT.
Roots of Discontent
After the creation of Bangladesh in 1971, leaders from the CHT, including Manabendra Narayan Larma, demanded constitutional recognition of Indigenous identity and autonomy for the hill people. Their demands were met with resistance.
The Constitution recognized only Bengali culture and language, designating all citizens as Bengalis. When Larma and other representatives raised objections, they were reportedly told by the country’s founding leader, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, that the hill peoples “must accept” being Bengalis. Though this claim was later proven false, the damage had been done—the Indigenous identity of the Jumma peoples was erased in policy.
Resentment grew, especially as state policies favored Bengali settlers in the CHT. The Jumma rebellion took shape soon after independence, crystallizing into the armed struggle led by the Parbatya Chattagram Jana Samhati Samiti (PCJSS) and its armed wing, the Shanti Bahini (SB).
The Conflict Phase (1977–1997)
The armed conflict erupted formally on May 29, 1977, when the Shanti Bahini launched their first attacks. Over the next two decades, the CHT became the site of one of South Asia’s most brutal low-intensity conflicts.
Key incidents from this period reveal the cycle of attack, reprisal, and mass displacement:
May 15, 1979: SB rebels clashed with government troops, killing 31 soldiers.
June 21, 1979: Another clash left 33 government soldiers dead.
March 25, 1980: Government forces killed some 300 ethnic Jummas in Kalampati.
June 25–26, 1981: SB rebels killed 14 Bengalis; in retaliation, Bengali settlers massacred 500 Jummas near Banraibari, Beltali, and Belchari. About 5,000 Jummas fled to India.
September 19, 1981: Government troops and settlers attacked 35 villages, killing several hundred people. By September’s end, 20,000 refugees fled to India.
1983–1986: Massacres continued, including the killing of 800 Jummas (1983), 400 Jummas (1984), and hundreds in Khagrachari (1986). Nearly 80,000 fled to India.
1988–1992: Renewed violence saw the deaths of hundreds more Jummas, including 30 in Malya (1992) and 100 in Khagrachari (1992).
1993–1996: Sporadic violence continued. SB rebels killed 30 Bengalis near Rangamati (1996).
By the time the Peace Accord was signed on December 2, 1997, the conflict had claimed the lives of more than 6,000 soldiers and rebels and 2,500 civilians. Around 55,000 refugees fled to India, while 45,000 more were internally displaced.
The Peace Accord and the Post-Conflict Phase
The 1997 Chittagong Hill Tracts Peace Accord promised demilitarization, land rights restoration, and the creation of autonomous regional councils. In its immediate aftermath, there was hope:
1997–1998: About 54,000 Chakma refugees were repatriated from India.
1998: The government announced amnesty, and 1,600 Shanti Bahini rebels surrendered arms.
International agencies such as the UNDP, EU, and ADB launched development programs. Yet cracks soon appeared. The accord remained partially implemented, and new groups like the United People’s Democratic Front (UPDF) opposed it.
The post-accord phase has been marked by sporadic violence:
2003: Two Jummas were killed by settlers.
2010: Settlers attacked Baghaichat villages, killing two.
2011: Four UPDF members were assassinated.
Since 1997: Over 750 people have been killed in political violence.
Recent Flashpoint: September 2024 Violence
The most recent large-scale unrest erupted on September 18–20, 2024, triggered by the death of Mohammad Mamun, a Bengali settler with a criminal record accused of motorbike theft. Although police confirmed Mamun’s death was accidental, settlers blamed Indigenous communities.
September 19: In Khagrachari, settlers set fire to 100 Indigenous homes and businesses. Military firing during Jumma protests killed two Indigenous youths and injured nine.
September 20: Violence spread to Rangamati. Settlers torched neighborhoods including Kalindipur, Bijon Sarani, Dewan Para, Tridip Nagar, and Banarupa. The CHT Regional Council office and Moitri Bihara Buddhist temple were vandalized. At least four Jummas were killed in two days.
The violence displaced dozens of families. Despite imposing Section 144, local authorities failed to contain the attacks, raising questions of complicity.
Nationwide protests followed, from Dhaka University to Rajshahi, demanding justice and full implementation of the Accord. Yet no significant arrests were made, reinforcing a culture of impunity.
Human Rights Violations: August 2024 – June 2025
Despite nearly three decades since the Accord, the human rights situation in CHT remains grim. Between August 2024 and June 2025, at least 203 violations were recorded, affecting 3,315 Jumma people.
These included:
Extrajudicial killings and torture
House searches and arbitrary detentions
Land grabbing and forced evictions
Military intimidation and false charges
One of the most alarming developments has been the targeted conversion of Indigenous children to Islam, exploiting poverty and lack of access to education.
January 2025: The Saptashish Model Academy was opened in Bandarban, allegedly teaching the Quran to Indigenous Mro toddlers under the guise of general
education.
March 4, 2025: Authorities detained 20 Rohingyas during a bus search in Bandarban.
May 21, 2025: Another eight Rohingyas were caught in Balaghata.
Reports confirmed that 30 Mro children had been converted and confined in a madrasa in Cox’s Bazar.
Baghaichhari, CHT (11 Aug 2025): 19-year-old Shubho Chakma allegedly beaten to death by BGB at Kajichhari checkpoint.
Witnesses: BGB stopped motorcycle, attacked driver, Shubho fell, then was brutally assaulted.
He died on the way to Khagrachhari Hospital.
Locals call it a killing; BGB claims it was an “accident.”
These incidents highlight systemic issues of militarization under the long-running Operation Uttoron (Operation Upliftment), which grants the army sweeping powers over administration, law enforcement, and development in the CHT. Far from enabling peace, this has entrenched fear and undermined local governance.
Displacement and Fear
From the conflict years to today, displacement has remained central to the CHT crisis. Almost Entire communities have fled across the Indian border during massacres, while thousands continue to be uprooted by land grabs, arson, and intimidation.
As one rights defender, Pallab Chakma of the Kapaeeng Foundation, put it:
“The Indigenous communities are living in fear. Time and again, perpetrators have been identified, but impunity prevails. Unless the government takes decisive action, the cycle of violence will continue.”
The Unfinished Struggle
Nearly 28 years after the Peace Accord, the Chittagong Hill Tracts remains caught between broken promises and recurring violence. While development projects have poured in, they are undermined by the failure to address the root causes:
Land alienation
Militarization
Impunity for settler violence
Non-implementation of the Accord
Human rights organizations, including IWGIA and Amnesty International, continue to demand:
Demilitarization of CHT
Justice for victims of communal attacks
Protection of Indigenous rights and identity
Full implementation of the 1997 Accord
Without such steps, the fragile peace risks unraveling further, with devastating consequences for the Jumma peoples and Bangladesh’s democratic credentials.
UN Human Rights Council Amnesty International International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs (IWGIA) The Hindu The Assam Tribune United Nations The Times of India Hill Voice
Read a better version in Substack : https://open.substack.com/pub/ahimsakchakma/p/chittagong-hill-tracts-conflict-and?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=5xmvcz
