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| Chakmas, Bangladesh
© Mark McEvoy/Survival |
Eight years after the CHT peace accords were signed between the Bangladesh government and the Jumma
tribal peoples of the Chittagong Hill Tracts, hundreds of military and
paramilitary camps remain in the region. The camps were supposed to
have been dismantled and soldiers withdrawn following the accords.
The deal, signed on 2 December 1997, gave the Jummas some control over
their land, and was seen by most as a significant step forward. The
worst atrocities against the Jummas have ended, but they still face
violence at the hands of Bengali settlers and the military.
Fifty years ago, the eleven Jumma tribes were almost the sole
inhabitants of the Chittagong Hill Tracts. Now, they are outnumbered by
Bengali settlers who have been moved onto their land by the government.
