Since 7 April, over 100 Indigenous Bawm people have been arbitrarily arrested as part of an ongoing military operation in the Chittagong Hill Tracts in southeastern Bangladesh. They are accused of being terrorists, suspected of being part of, or supporters of, the military group Kuki-Chin National Front, that allegedly robbed two public banks and held a bank manager hostage on 2 and 3 April 2024. Of those who haven’t been arrested, most have now fled to jungle areas near the villages or are fleeing the country. Amnesty International calls for the immediate release of all civilians and an end to the crackdown against the Bawm community.
