Bangladesh Sliding Toward Failed State Status Amidst Poor Governance And Lawlessness – OpEd

The governance under the current Bangladesh government led by Chief Advisor Yunus since August 2024 has been widely criticized for failing to maintain law and order across the country, with especially acute crises in the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) and Cox’s Bazar regions.

The Law-and-Order situation has plunged into unprecedented chaos, characterized by a dramatic surge in violence, communal tensions and grave human rights abuses against indigenous groups. Under Yunus’s rule, the ISI and ISI-backed Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) along with Rohingya militant groups operate openly and freely within the CHT, Cox’s Bazar and along the Bangladesh-Myanmar border, further destabilizing the region. Security forces have often been implicated in clashes and abuses, exacerbating tensions. The government’s failure to control these militant activities, combined with rampant corruption and politicization of law enforcement, has created a grave governance and security failure that threatens national stability and public safety.

Governance and Lawlessness Overview

Since assuming office in August 2024, CA Muhammad Yunus’s administration has overseen a rapid deterioration of law and order across Bangladesh, marking a failure to provide citizen security nationwide. Crime rates have surged sharply, with reported incidents of rape rising by 40%, murders increasing by 35%, and militant activities becoming more frequent. Particularly alarming is the presence of ISI-backed militant groups such as ARSA and Rohingya militants operating openly in volatile areas like the Chittagong Hill Tracts and Cox’s Bazar, destabilizing border security. Security forces have been ineffective or complicit, contributing to a breakdown in policing and legal enforcement. Human rights groups document over 100 reported cases of sexual violence in these regions since 2024, many involving state actors. Coupled with escalating terrorist attacks and increased criminal impunity, Bangladesh under Yunus is sliding toward failed state status, exacerbated by political instability, ethnic tensions, and eroding democratic institutions.

Law and Order in Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT)

The CHT region, home to 13 Indigenous communities, is experiencing renewed violence with significant human rights violations under the current government. Since August 2024, at least 22 communal attacks have been reported, primarily targeting indigenous peoples. A notable recent incident in September 2025 involved the gang rape of a 12-year-old indigenous Marma girl by Bengali settlers, followed by institutional bias where police pressured the victim’s family to conceal the ethnic identity of the attackers, illustrating deep-rooted systemic discrimination.​

Between August 2024 and late 2025, the CHT Commission secretariat documented multiple cases of rape (8 incidents including 5 gang rapes), sexual harassment (4 cases), attempted rape (7 cases), and associated violence, often perpetrated by settlers and state security forces. The security forces and local Bengali settlers have been implicated in human rights abuses, including sexual violence employed as a weapon of terror and control against indigenous communities.​

ISI-backed militant activity, including groups like Jama’atul Ansar Fil Hindal Sharqiya, has intensified conflicts, using CHT as a base for operations. This growing militant presence coupled with state repression has trapped the indigenous people in a cycle of violence, displacement and insecurity, emphasizing the government’s failure to protect these vulnerable populations.

Cox’s Bazar Situation

Cox’s Bazar, another critical region, also reflects governance failure and lawlessness. Violent crimes have surged, including attacks on bus passengers, robberies and clashes involving military and civilians. An example is the April 2025 clash between local residents and the Bangladesh Air Force personnel over vehicular document verification, which resulted in injuries and the death of a young local man named Shihab Kabir Nahid, exacerbating tensions between security forces and the civilian population.​

The law enforcement’s ineffective response and militarized approach have led to widespread unrest and raised questions about the government’s capacity to maintain order and protect citizens’ rights in Cox’s Bazar, a region additionally burdened by the complex Rohingya refugee crisis.​

Political and Social Impact

The lawlessness and governance failures are deepening political polarization. The ouster of the previous government led by Sheikh Hasina in August 2024 created a power vacuum exploited by radical groups, including Islamist organizations advocating for a theocratic state, which the Yunus government has been perceived as weakly responding to or tacitly approving. The resulting social fragmentation has fueled communal violence and worsened security nationally.​

The interim government’s handling of ethnic and indigenous issues in the CHT and conflicts in Cox’s Bazar highlights a lack of political will or capability to implement the 1997 CHT Peace Accord’s principles fully, exacerbating tensions and atrocities in these regions.​

Key Data and Facts

• At least 22 communal attacks in CHT from 2024 to 2025​
• Multiple documented sexual violence incidents in CHT: 8 rapes (5 gang rapes), 7 attempted rapes, 4 sexual harassment cases since August 2024​
• Death of Shihab Kabir Nahid in Cox’s Bazar during a clash with military (April 2025)​
• Rising violent crime and use of firearms by terrorists reported nationwide​
• Report highlighting Bangladesh under Yunus as sliding into a failed state with rising radicalism backed by ISI and governance crisis​

Conclusion

The governance under Prime Minister Muhammad Yunus since August 2024 has led Bangladesh into an unprecedented crisis marked by deteriorating law and order, rising violence and severe human rights abuses. The surge in communal attacks, particularly in the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) and Cox’s Bazar, highlights systemic failures in protecting indigenous communities and controlling militant groups, including ISI-backed ARSA and Rohingya militants operating freely along the Bangladesh-Myanmar border. Crime rates including rapes and murders have sharply increased, with the government’s law enforcement apparatus rendered impotent or complicit amid rampant politicization. The failure to implement the 1997 CHT Peace Accord and the mishandling of regional conflicts exacerbate instability. Political polarization and weakened democratic institutions deepen social fragmentation, pushing Bangladesh toward failed state status. Without urgent reforms and inclusive governance, the nation’s security and social fabric remain gravely threatened.

References:

• https://www.albd.org/articles/news/41619/Bangladesh%E2%80%99s-Crisis-Deepens-in-2025:-A-Nation-in-Decline
• https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2020/oct/09/gang-violence-erupts-in-bangladesh-rohingya-camps-forcing-families-to-flee