Echoing the concerns of the people and human rights groups, the Government of Canada has issued a travel advisory for its citizens due to the rapidly deteriorating law-and-order situation and the growing threat of extremism and terrorism in Bangladesh.
According to the official notice issued on September 19, the security situation could deteriorate with little warning due to possible demonstrations, clashes, and nationwide general strikes.
The women travelling alone may face some forms of harassment and verbal abuse. So, they should avoid travelling alone, including on public transportation, especially at night and should not go to the police station without an accompaniment.
Security analysts warn that if the current situation remains unchecked, Bangladesh may soon face even stricter travel restrictions from Western nations, further reinforcing its image as a country at risk of being defined as a โterror-prone state.โ
Canada has also imposed a complete travel ban on the three hill districtsโRangamati, Khagrachhari, and Bandarbanโdue to politically motivated violence, kidnappings and sporadic ethnic clashes.
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โViolent clashes occur between indigenous communities that are organised under opposing political groups. The clashes result from their desire to obtain political control over specific geographic areas. These groups also engage in extortion and drug, money and weapons smuggling.
โIf you decide to visit the Chittagong Hill Tracts region despite this advisory, you must contact the Chittagong Divisional Commissioner’s Office at least 10 days before you arrive.โ
The statement asked travellers to exercise a high degree of caution because of ongoing political unrest, violent demonstrations, sexual harassment, kidnappings, organised robberies, and rising attacks on religious minorities.
Asking Canadian citizens to avoid all demonstrations and gatherings, the advisory added that sudden, potentially violent demonstrations and clashes can take place any day. Larger crowds usually gather on Friday afternoons following Jumma prayers. Previous violent protests have resulted in thousands of casualties.
โCertain groups have used explosive devices and firearms during confrontations between rival political factions, demonstrators and police,โ it said.
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The travellers were asked to be vigilant in Dhaka around the National Parliament House and the Bangladesh Secretariat, the Baitul Mukarram National Mosque, the University of Dhaka, Mirpur, Motijheel, Naya Paltan, Purana Paltan, Uttara, Dhanmondi, Mohammadpur, Shahbagh and the commercial district of Kawran Bazar.
The advisory stated that extremists could launch an attack on specific targets, like government buildings, including schools, places of worship, airports and other transportation hubs and networks, public areas such as tourist attractions, restaurants, bars, coffee shops, shopping centres, markets, hotels and other sites frequented by foreigners, and police stations.
Analysing the Advisory: A Mirror to September 2025 Turmoil
Canada’s travel advisory for Bangladesh, issued under the banner “Exercise a high degree of caution,” serves as a stark barometer of the nation’s fragility one year after the July 2024 uprising that ousted the Awami League government and installed the Westโs puppet Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus as head of an interim government.
It is a timely cautionary tale, reflecting a Bangladesh where hope from 2024’s uprising curdles into 2025’s deadlock. With elections looming and violence simmering, it advises not just caution but foresight: Yunus’s interim bridge risks collapse without accountability. Travellers, heed itโlest Bangladesh’s turmoil turns personal.
Last updated with an editorial change (exact date unspecified but aligned with ongoing monitoring), the advisory paints a picture of persistent volatility: demonstrations, clashes, general strikes, terrorism threats, and regional no-go zones.
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In the current media landscape of September 2025, this document feels prescient yet understated, capturing the aftershocks of a revolution that has devolved into mob rule, economic freefall, and delayed democracy. As diaspora protests rage in London and UN probes linger, the advisory underscores why Bangladesh remains a high-risk destination, urging travellers to tread with extreme vigilance.
At its core, the advisory’s “high degree of caution” stems from a security situation described as volatile post-July 2024 violence. It warns of sudden military deployments in cities, traffic snarls, and a landscape primed for unrestโechoing media reports of Yunus’s regime grappling with faltering reforms and mounting discontent. The demonstrations section is particularly prescient: it details explosive devices, firearms in political clashes, and tear gas deployments, advising avoidance of hotspots like Dhaka’s Shahbagh or Kawran Bazar.
Recent events validate thisโprimary school teachers and civil servants protested in May 2025 against Yunus’s timeline for elections (now pegged between December 2025 and June 2026), fueling gridlock with the BNP demanding polls by year’s end.
Social media users decry judiciary corruption under Yunus, with false cases filed by BNP-Jamaat allies extorting victims, turning courts into “marketplaces.” A viral video from September 19 shows an Awami League supporter being lynched near Dhaka’s parliament, highlighting mob violence that the advisory’s blockade warnings (fires, derailments) only hint at.
The “Avoid all travel” to Chittagong Hill Tracts aligns with ongoing ethnic clashes and kidnappings, but the media amplifies broader perils. Reports detail over 2,000 attacks on Hindu minorities since Yunus’s ascent, including shrine desecrations by Islamist groups like Jamaat-e-Islami and Hefazat-e-Islam, often under the “Touhidi Janata” banner.
Al Jazeera notes Yunus’s “selling the revolution” short, with promised reforms stalling amid vigilantism and Islamist gains. X posts warn of “genocide of Hindus” and militant dominance, with Canada itself cited for alerting on abductions and administrative collapse. Terrorism risks, targeting Westerners in hotels and markets, persist despite a post-2020 dip, with UN fact-finding revealing 1,400 protest deaths from state repressionโthough now flipped to interim-era abuses.
However, the Awami League has challenged the list and demanded a thorough investigation into each and every death.
Southern Bangladesh’s advisory on Rohingya campsโlimited resources, restricted accessโties into humanitarian strains, but the economy’s nosedive adds urgency unmentioned here. Prof. Arif Khan’s analysis reveals that two decades of growth evaporated: $200 billion industrial losses, FDI fleeing amid militancy, inflation ravaging 60% of households, high inflation, and shaken investor confidence. Strikes could exacerbate shortages, as the advisory notes for blockades.
Under September 2025 circumstances, the advisory’s caution feels like a lifeline for the 10 million-strong diasporas, whose $22 billion remittances prop the economy yet fuel protests like London’s Trafalgar Square rally on September 16, decrying Yunus’s “undemocratic” Awami League ban.
PBS and Reuters highlight Yunus’ “little change” on systemic woes, with military chafing and reform commissions dragging.
From geopolitical rifts (Yunus tilting to China-Pakistan), netizens call for his ouster, which mirrors the advisory’s unrest warnings.
For travellersโtourists eyeing the Sundarbans or business envoysโthe message is clear: monitor media, avoid crowds, prepare for disruptions. Yet, as Crisis Group urges EU support for reforms, the advisory implicitly calls for international pressure to avert a deeper crisis.
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