SUMMARY

Fighting between BCP (Biplobi Communist Party) and PBCP (Purbo Banglar Communist Party) can be traced to a mixture of competition over territory (the two groups areas of control overlapped) as well as ideological differences (BCP being a Maoist organization, while PBCP being a mix of Maoist, Marxist and Cuban Communist ideology). The importance of territorial disputes was further amplified, as the two groups depended on kidnappings and extortion as an important means of financing their activities and assuring a livelihood for their members.

Violence between BCP and PBCP was relatively lengthy and protracted, the two groups engaging in various clashes throughout the 1990s and 2000s. However, the violence was also relatively low level, only once, in 1993, exceeding 25 battle-related deaths. Tactics involve gun battles, stabbings, and assaults, with occasional kidnappings. Most events are relatively small in size, rarely involving more than 10 deaths, per event. An explanation for this can be found with the relatively limited armaments available to either group. No specific targeting patterns could be identified, perhaps because of the very diffuse and non-centralized structure of both BCP and PBCP, making it difficult to identify any specific leadership.

Violence was limited to South-Western Bangladesh, in the rural wetland region of Chalan Beel, the core of both groups operations. Most incidents took place in the rural, densely populated and poor Jhenidah district, situated on the border with Indias West Bengal State.

The non-state conflict between BCP and PBCP is first included in UCDP data in 1993. In May that year clashes had resulted in more than 25 battle-related deaths.