The Role of the Military in the Chittagong Hill Tracts: Legal and Human Rights Implications
Keywords:
Role of Military, Chittagong Hill Tracts, Legal and Human Rights, ImplicationsAbstract
The role of the military in the hill region of Bangladesh has been a deeply controversial and multifaceted issue involving complex historical, legal and human rights dimensions. This study delves into the prolonged military presence in the CHT which despite the 1997 Peace Accord aimed at ending decades of armed conflict, continues to exacerbate tensions, human rights violations and political instability. By analyzing the legal frameworks, policies and on the ground realities, the study highlights how militarization in the region has hindered the fulfillment of the Accord’s promises of demilitarization, regional autonomy and land restitution for indigenous communities. Through a detailed exploration of the historical context, the study examines how military operations in the CHT have been justified under the guise of national security while often undermining the rights of the indigenous Jumma peoples. These operations have led to widespread human rights abuses including forced displacement, land dispossession and the suppression of political expression. Despite international human rights norms and domestic legal frameworks that are supposed to protect indigenous rights, their enforcement has been inconsistent and often inadequate in the CHT. The study
further critiques the failure of the Bangladeshi government to fully implement the Peace Accord, focusing on the continued military presence, unresolved land disputes and lack of genuine political autonomy for the indigenous people. It proposes a comprehensive legal and policy reform agenda to ensure the restoration of peace, justice and human rights in the region. This includes calls for demilitarization, better enforcement of land rights and the full recognition of indigenous selfdetermination.
References
Mohsin, A. (2002). The Politics of Nationalism: The Case of the Chittagong Hill Tracts, Bangladesh. University Press Limited.
van Schendel, W. (1992). The Invention of the "Jumma": State Formation and Ethnicity in Southeastern Bangladesh. Modern Asian Studies, 26(1), 95–128.
Uddin, A. (2010). The Chittagong Hill Tracts: A Historical Overview. Dhaka University Press.
Adnan, S., & Dastidar, R. (2011). Alienation of the Lands of Indigenous Peoples in the Chittagong Hill Tracts of Bangladesh.IWGIA.
Chakma, B. (2018). The Politics of Autonomy and Resistance in the Chittagong Hill Tracts. Springer.
Levene, M. (1999). The Chittagong Hill Tracts: A Case of Genocide?" Journal of Genocide Study, 1(3), 363-373.
Roy, R. D. (2000). The Chittagong Hill Tracts Peace Accord: A Step towards Sustainable Development? Indigenous Affairs, 4, 42–51.
Chowdhury, K. (2021). Militarization and Indigenous Struggles in the Chittagong Hill Tracts. South Asian Journal of Political Science.
Mohsin, Amena, The Politics of Nationalism: The Case of the Chittagong Hill Tracts, Bangladesh, University Press Limited, 1997.
dnan, S. (2007). Migration, Discrimination and Land Alienation: Social and Historical Perspectives on the Ethnic Conflict in the Chittagong Hill Tracts of Bangladesh. Contemporary Perspectives. 1. 1–28.
Islam, K.M. (2023) 26 Years of CHT Peace Accord: Development Achievement and Challenges. December 2nd, 2023.
Khisa, D. (2023) 'How long must we wait for CHT Accord implementation? The Daily Star, 3 December. 2023.
Hossain, B.G. M. S. (2015) Chittagong Hill Tracts (Cht) Land Issue: Challenges and Way Ahead. Ndc E-Journal, 14(2), 17–30.
Faiaz, Z. (2021) ‘Attacks, land grabs leave Bangladesh’s Indigenous groups on edge,'’Al Jazeera, 30 July, 2021.
NICEF (2019) “MANY TRACTS ONE COMMUNITY: UNICEF’S Work in the Chittagong Hill Tracts. UNICEF Bangladesh.,August 2019.
Mizanur Rahman, Human Rights and Domestic Violence: The Legal Framework in Bangladesh (Bangladesh Institute of Human Rights 2010) 203.
Anisuzzaman, Tanjim, "Military, Rightsand the CHT: A Legal Vacuum?", Bangladesh Legal Studies Journal, Vol. 8, 2021.
36 Rajkumari Chandra Kalindi Roy, Land Rights of the Indigenous Peoples of the Chittagong Hill Tracts, Bangladesh (IWGIA 2000) 24.
Chittagong Hill Tracts Regulation, 1900.
Nasreen, Z., TOGAWA, M (2002) Politics of Development: Bengali’ Discourse in the Chittagong Hill Tracts,” Journal of International Development and Cooperation 9(1):97–112.
UNPO (2018) Chittagong Hill Tracts. Unrepresented Nations And People Organization. May 31st, 2018.
UNICEF (2019) "Many Tracts One Community: UNICEF’S Work in the Chittagong Hill Tracts. UNICEF Bangladesh. August 2019. [Online] Available From:
New Age (2021) Fill tribal quota with ethnic minority students: eminent citizens. New Age. April 22nd, 2021. [Online] Available from: ://www.newagebd.net/article/136012/fill-tribal-quota-withethnic-minority-students-eminent-citizens.
Khisa, D. (2023) 'How long must we wait for CHT Accord implementation?' The Daily Star, 3 December. 2023.
CHT Peace Accord, 1997, Ministry of Chittagong Hill Tracts Affairs.
CHT Peace Accord, 1997, Ministry of Chittagong Hill Tracts Affairs.
CHT Peace Accord, 1997, Ministry of Chittagong Hill Tracts Affairs.
Raja Devasish Roy, ‘Traditional Customary Laws and Indigenous Peoples in Asia’ (2005) 2(3) Bangladesh Journal of Law 1, 7.
Uddin, Nasir, “Decolonising Indigenous Rights in Bangladesh,” Economic and Political Weekly, 2010.
Levene, Mark, "Blueprints for a Genocide: The Chittagong Hill Tracts of Bangladesh," Third World Quarterly, 1999.
Badran, R. (2014). Intrastate peace agreements and the durability of peace. Conflict Management and Peace Science, 31(2).
Bala, S. (2022). Assessment of the Implementation Status of the CHT Peace Agreement. In: Politics of Peace Agreement Implementation. Palgrave Macmillan. Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978- 981-16-1944-1_4.
Slow Demise of the Region’s Indigenous Peoples. Shimin Gaikou Centre (Citizens’ Diplomatic Centre for the Rights of Indigenous Peoples)3–35–13–204 Higashi- komatsugawa - Edogawa-ku, Tokyo, 132–0033, Japan.
Partha, R. S. (2013). Practice and Discourse of “Chittagong Hill Tracts Peace Accord 1997” Bangladesh. Journal of International Development and Cooperation, Hiroshima University, Japan, 20(1), 1–11.
Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK), “Unresolved: Kalpana Chakma's Disappearance,” 2020.
CHT Commission Reports, Field Reports on Gendered Violence, 2013.
Rahman, M.K. (2014). The Rights of Ethnic Minorities in The Chittagong Hill Tracts of Bangladesh: A Study on The Implementation of Chittagong Hill Tracts Peace Accord. Uttara University Law Journal. 01. 59–78.
Mohsin, A., (2003). The Chittagong Hill Tracts, Bangladesh: On the Difficult Road to Peace. Lynne Rienner Publishers, Boulder.
Roy, R.D. (2009). The ILO Convention on Indigenous and Tribal Populations, 1957 (No. 107) And the Laws of Bangladesh: A Comparative Review, PRO 169. International Labour Standards Department. ILO Geneva and ILO Office in Dhaka.
The Constitution of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh 1972.
The Constitution of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh 1972.
The Constitution of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh 1972.
The Constitution of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh 1972.
The Constitution of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh 1972.
Sayedur Rahman, The Constitution of Bangladesh: A Critical Analysis (Oxford University Press 2010) 44.
Rashiduzzaman, M. (1998). Bangladesh’s Chittagong Hill Tracts Peace Accord: institutional features and strategic concerns, Asian Survey, 37(7), 653–670.
Samaddar, R. (1999). Those Accords: A Bunch of Documents. SAFHR Paper Series No.4, South Asia Forum for Human Rights, Kathmandu.
Joshi, M., Lee, S.Y.and Ginty, R.M. (2014). Just How Liberal Is the Liberal Peace? International Peacekeeping, 21(3).
Mizanur Rahman, Civil-Military Relations in Bangladesh: Legal Perspectives (University of Dhaka Press 2010) 103.
105Tofail Ahmed, ‘Judicial Review and Military Law in Bangladesh: The Need for Oversight’ (2015) 18 Bangladesh Law Journal 54, 62.
Willem van Schendel, The Chittagong Hill Tracts: Living in a Borderland (White Lotus Press 2000) 56.
Sayedul Hoque, Human Rights in Bangladesh: A Study of the Chittagong Hill Tracts (University Press Limited 2008) 134.
Amnesty International, Pushed to the Edge: Indigenous Rights in Bangladesh’s Chittagong Hill Tracts (1998.
Mahfuzul H. Chowdhury, Human Rights and the Military in Bangladesh (Eastern Law House 2014) 93.
Nasreen, Z. (2017). The Indigeneity question: State Violence. Forced Displacement and Women's Narratives in the Chittagong Hill Tracts of Bangladesh. Doctoral thesis, Durham University.
Hussain, S. A. (1999). War and Peace in the Chittagong Hill Tracts: Retrospect and Prospect. Dhaka: Agamee Prakashani.
Islam, R., Susanne, S., & Saikia, U. (2022), violent peace: community relations in the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) in Bangladesh after the Peace Accord. Conflict, Security & Development, 22(3), 271–295.
IWGIA (2012), Militarization in the Chittagong Hill Tracts, Bangladesh -The Slow Demise of the Region’s Indigenous Peoples, Shimin Gaikou Centre (Citizens’ Diplomatic Centre for the Rights of Indigenous Peoples)3–35–13–204 Higashi- komatsugawa - Edogawa-ku, Tokyo, 132-0033, Japan.
Jenneke, A (1997). Foreign Aid and Militarization in the Chittagong Hill Tracts, in Living on the Edge: Essays on the Chittagong Hill Tracts.
Wilkinson, M. 2015 ‘Negotiating with the Other: centre- periphery perceptions, peacemaking policies and pervasive conflict in the Chittagong Hill Tracts, Bangladesh’ International Review of Social Study, 5, 3:179–190.
Talukder, U. ‘2005 Chittagong Hill Tracts Issue and Post-Accord Situation’, Paper presented at International Conference on Civil Society, Human Rights and Minorities in Bangladesh. Organised by Campaign Against Atrocities on Minorities in Bangladesh (CAAMB) In association with Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council (BHBCUC, International Chapters) 22 – 23 January 2005.
Jamil I. and Panday, P. 2008 ‘The elusive Peace Accord in the Chittagong Hill Tracts of Bangladesh and the plight of the indigenous people’ Commonwealth and Comparative Politics, 46, 4: 464–489.
Choudhury, Z. A. (ed.). 2017 Mapping Conflict in Chittagong Hill Tracts 1997-2014, Adarsha Books: Dhaka.
IRIN ASIA 2011 Chittagong Rights Violations Continue, Says UN. URL:
https://www.thenewhumanitarian. org/feature/2011/04/28/chittagong-rights-violationscontinuesays-un (accessed 09/03/2023.
