(Bloomberg) -- Bangladesh’s interim government appealed for calm after at least four people died in clashes between rival groups in the southeastern region bordering India and Myanmar.
Interim leader Muhammad Yunus is sending a high-level team to the Chittagong Hill Tracts on Saturday, as his government struggles to reestablish peace after weeks of protests across Bangladesh. The rugged mountainous region, divided into three districts and controlled by the army, is home to different ethnic groups and Bengali settlers.
The government is “deeply saddened and distressed by the ongoing assaults, attacks and loss of life,” according to a statement issued by Yunus’s office on Friday. This week, Yunus handed magistracy powers to the army for 60 days to speed up law enforcement efforts.
A breakdown in law-and-order has remained a key concern in Bangladesh after the Awami League government led by Sheikh Hasina collapsed on Aug. 5 amid a student-led uprising.
“All law enforcement forces have been directed to exercise maximum restraint and ensure the safety of all people living in the three hill districts,” the government said.
“The government is determined to ensure peace and harmony. All are being instructed not to take the law into their own hands and engage in destructive activities.”
Three people belonging to the local ethnic community died in the hospital after they were injured in attacks in Khagrachhari district, the local media reported. The attacks followed the death of a Bengali man by a mob who accused him of stealing a motorbike.
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