2023 in CHT was a year to dread

Not long ago, the 26th anniversary of the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) Peace Accord saw the familiar peddling of political rhetoric about its success, but the truth, as reports from the ground show, lies somewhere far away. Twenty-six years ago, the treaty was signed between the Parbatya Chattogram Jana Sanghati Samiti (PCJSS) and the then Awami League government. On Tuesday, PCJSS released its annual report revealing that not only did the government fail to implement most of the clauses of the accord, but that this has exacerbated an already fragile situation in the region.

The report highlights a disturbing pattern of repression including arrests, jail sentences, killings, disappearances, false cases, land grabbing, eviction from homelands, infiltration, minorisation of the Juma people, communal attacks, violence against women, etc. It also cites 240 reported incidents of rights violations, affecting about 1,933 individuals. All this again shows how a cycle of injustice has taken hold of the region, adding to the distrust among affected communities. The PCJSS also challenges the government claim that 65 out of the 72 clauses of the CHT accord has been implemented. In reality, it says, only 25 clauses have seen any form of implementation, with the remaining 47 either completely ignored or partially addressed.

Over the years, we have come across various reports of repression, subjugation and discrimination in the hills, and the PCJSS annual report further validates these concerns. As citizens, indigenous communities deserve the same rights that others do, and the CHT accord was meant to ensure that their distinct identity and customs are preserved. The question is, why are the authorities making false claims about the accord when it is evident that most of its fundamental clauses remain unimplemented? Far from making genuine efforts to ensure progress, the government has instead allegedly resorted to criminalising Juma activists advocating for the accord's implementation.

This has to stop. We urge the government to take stern action against those exploiting the vulnerability of indigenous communities, and fully implement all clauses of the treaty without delay.