DHAKA: The Bangladeshi military reported that troops fired in response to gunfire from a tribal group during ethnic violence in the remote Chittagong Hill Tracts region, leading to at least four fatalities.
This area, which borders India and Myanmar, has experienced intermittent clashes between tribal groups and Bengali-speaking settlers over land and resources.
The latest unrest was triggered by the lynching of a Bengali-speaking man suspected of stealing a motorbike, as described by local residents and media reports. In retaliation, shops and businesses owned by the tribal community were attacked and set ablaze.
According to the military, members of the United People’s Democratic Front (UPDF) rebel group “opened fire on an army patrol” while the tribal community attempted to prevent soldiers from taking a critically injured man to the hospital. The military’s statement indicated that soldiers returned fire, resulting in multiple casualties.
A local witness, Naresh Tripura, claimed that troops initiated the gunfire during a protest by the tribal community in Khagrachhari district against the arson attacks on their properties. Khagrachhari’s police chief, Md Arefin Jewel, confirmed that two individuals were shot dead, although the origin of the gunfire was “unclear.” He added that a third person died from a “sharp object,” without providing further details.
The violence also spread to the neighboring Rangamati district, where another fatality occurred, bringing the total death toll to four. Bangladesh’s interim leader, Muhammad Yunus, expressed deep sadness over the ongoing violence and loss of life, vowing that all incidents would be investigated and those responsible would face justice.
The Chittagong Hill Tracts have a history of conflict, with rebel groups previously waging a decades-long struggle for a tribal homeland before a peace agreement was reached in 1997.
