Peacebuilding in The Chittagong Hill Tracts (Cht): An Institutionalist Approach

The ethnic tensions in the Chittagong Hill Tracts originated from the hill-men’s demands for autonomy and recognition of distinct identity in the newly adopted constitution of Bangladesh in 1972. While successive governments have neglected both demands, they have also established a host of political institutions to address the grievances of the tribal people and to establish peace and security in the CHT. The formation of the Tribal Cultural Institutes and the Chittagong Hill Tracts Development Board, the creation of three administrative districts splitting the old CHT district are just a few examples. The foundation of three Hill Local Government Councils and the CHT Regional council, and of late, the Ministry of CHT Affairs are also notable developments. This paper argues that the evolving political institutions created both before and after the 1997 CHT Peace Accord have played varied level of role toward the process of peace-building. The evolution of these political-administrative institutions and their performance are analyzed in this paper. In the end, the author identifies a few challenges toward the full implementation of the CHT Accord in general and the democratic governance of local institutions in particular.