Call for urgent action on deadly violence in the Chittagong Hill Tracts
A new wave of violence in the Chittagong Hill Tracts has drawn urgent international attention as indigenous Jumma communities report a series of brutal assaults, killings, arson, and displacement. Details collected from September 2024 to September 2025 describe multiple incidents in which Jumma people were targeted, including gang rapes, shootings, and extensive property destruction. Observers say security forces and Bengali settlers are implicated, while authorities have appeared to shift blame onto Indigenous protesters. The reports depict a pattern of impunity under a de facto military presence and a settler-backed occupation, with rights groups alleging systemic bias favouring settlers over indigenous communities.
Rights organisations and community leaders are pressing for swift, concrete action. They demand that those responsible for sexual violence and other abuses be identified, arrested and prosecuted, with full protection and access to medical and psychological support for victims. The call is for an end to impunity and the establishment of an independent Commission of Inquiry, along with an invitation for United Nations involvement and the presence of international observers to monitor the situation. Advocates also urge the revocation of Operation Uttoron, a restoration of civilian governance, and the dismantling of temporary camps beyond bases established in 1997. A reform of policing is proposed, including the creation of an ethnically representative police force and the relocation of Bengali settlers in line with rights-based policy reviews.
In Dhaka, officials have yet to publish a full inquiry into the events, prompting continued criticism from human rights groups and international observers. The UK and other governments have been urged to press for independent investigations and sustained protection for civilians, with calls for international scrutiny and monitoring to prevent further escalation in the region.
Signatories to the urgent statement include Indigenous Peoples of the Chittagong Hill Tracts and allied rights organisations, as documented in the joint appeal. Specific signatories referenced in the open letter are listed in the published document, which calls for immediate international action and independent investigations to ensure accountability.
