Despite the signing of the peace treaty in December 1997 peace and development have so far eluded the Chittagong Hill Tracts. It has been alleged that the accord has never been fully implemented. Whether conditions existed for full implementation of the accord is another story. Development work in the region came to a halt after three foreigners were kidnapped from Naniarchar in February 2001. The hostages were later rescued unhurt but CHT remained perturbed as before. Armed rivalry between different factions and bush warfare, abduction and killing are routine. Reports coming from the area narrate that armed groups have organised their workers for open confrontation. In five months 18 persons have been killed and 70 abducted. Apart from tribals who support and oppose the accord, some new ideological groups are also forming taking advantage of the fluid situation. One such group is the Bengal Tiger Force which has both tribals and non-tribals in its ranks and seeks to establish socialism in the area (hence in the country).
The CHT is one of the country's most economically promising areas due to its untapped resources, favourable land-man ratio and tourism prospects. Many things in this country are donor driven. International donors highly lauded the peace treaty and showed great interest in development of the area. The formation of a partnership of government, NGOs and donor community involving local people for the development of CHT is a manifestation of donor interest. Resumption of development work under UNDP sponsorship is the answer to CHT's snowballing problem. It has been stated that the people and the institutions of CHT will shape their own modalities of 'bottom up' development with an eye to the requirements of the area. It is learnt that the local communities, government, international donors and UNDP officially restarted development activities in the region.
It is hoped that once development picks up, everything will fall into place and those who are still unreconciled to the treaty will be won over. The pace of development must be sustained.