Chittagong Hill Tracts

1976-1997

Shanti Bahini Insurgency in the Chittagong Hill Tracts

Armed conflict, displacement, and a negotiated end through the 1997 accord.

From early 1976 onward, armed conflict in the Chittagong Hill Tracts intensified between state forces and the PCJSS's armed wing, Shanti Bahini, around autonomy, land, and political recognition demands. The conflict caused long-term insecurity and displacement before a formal peace accord was signed on 2 December 1997.

1997

Chittagong Hill Tracts Peace Accord

A formal peace agreement ended two decades of insurgency but left contested implementation questions.

On 2 December 1997, the Government of Bangladesh and PCJSS signed the Chittagong Hill Tracts Peace Accord. The accord ended large-scale insurgency under the Shanti Bahini framework, introduced institutional commitments on autonomy and land issues, and began a long implementation process.