Further Peace Talks with Kuki Chin inadequate to counter Hill Tracts Terrorism

Dhaka, Bangladesh || Tuesday, 30 April 2024 || 17 Boishakh 1431

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Further Peace Talks with Kuki Chin inadequate to counter Hill Tracts Terrorism

S M Faiyaz Hossain

Published : Tuesday, 9 April, 2024 at 4:25 PM, Update: 09.04.2024 8:36:40 PM, Count : 720

Further Peace Talks with Kuki Chin inadequate to counter Hill Tracts Terrorism

In Bangladesh's Chattogram Hill Tracts (CHT) area, the KNF is an armed ethnic group headed by fighters from the predominantly Christian Bawm ethnic group. The group first appeared in 2022 and has since engaged in armed confrontations with the Bangladeshi military as well as other rebel organizations operating in the area. A Kuki-Chin territorial council that would encompass portions of the highland districts of Bandarban, Rangamati, and Khagrachhari is among the demands made by the KNF. It has been said that the Bawm are all Christians since most of them are said to have become Christians via the efforts of Baptist Christian missionaries who were funded by the Westerners. In their many congregations, the Bawms are represented by mostly elders, pastors, and fewer evangelists. The Bawms were initially intended to be a Buddhist ethnic group, but with help from the West, they relocated and converted to Christianity.

The KNF consented to a truce and started peace negotiations with a Peace committee that was created by the government in November 2023. This was the first time the rebel group and the Peace Committee had met face-to-face. December 2023 was the planned date for a second round of negotiations; however, the peace process has since been politically complex. KNF's recent bank robberies, attacks on security personnel, and gatherings during Ramadan in Bandarban, which have bred dread and mistrust. Since KNF operates in a remote area close to the border, they have become a new threat to regional and national security. Bangladesh and Mizoram, India, which is home to various organizations with similar goals, are separated by 300 kilometers. However, there is a border shared between this hill track area and Myanmar. They constituted a serious threat to national security since they rejected the 1997 peace agreement and demanded total control over the independent Hill tracks. They have also threatened the administration, until their demands are fulfilled bloodshed will continue.

Mizoram and Chin have long been grappling with insurgency issues, and the presence of transnational terrorism would exacerbate the problem. Not only is KNF viewed as a danger to Bangladesh's national security, but it also could spread its activities throughout this area. This ethnic group may become a regional security issue due to the interconnection of the area and their presence in various states. This insurgent group has already been implicated in several crimes, including the trafficking of weapons and drugs and alliance with Islamic Extremists. Thus, it is imperative that Bangladesh, Myanmar, and India work together to address this regional issue as soon as possible. To stop these extremist organizations from taking advantage of the tensions that are already there and to disrupt their operations, the government should step up its counterterrorism initiatives and intelligence-gathering capacities. Political recognition will be granted to the KNF if peace talks are further continued. During crackdowns, Bangladesh government security forces need to use caution to avoid violating human rights or engaging in extrajudicial actions, since this might encourage additional young people to run into the hills' forests and join the KNA.

The Writer S M Faiyaz Hossain is a Graduate Research Student at University of Tasmania, he is also a member of Amnesty International, Australia.

Writer: Graduate Research Student at University of Tasmania, Senior Executive at a 100% Export Oriented Manufacturing Industry, Member of Amnesty International, Australia.

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