Fighting has resumed between Cambodia and Thailand

Fighting has resumed along the Thai-Cambodian border, with heavy weapons being used, calling into question the 26 October ceasefire and prompting mass evacuations of civilians on both sides.

Thai air strikes have targeted Cambodian positions, with Phnom Penh responding with rocket fire, killing at least seven civilians on the Cambodian side and three Thai soldiers since Sunday. The Thai authorities claim to have destroyed a casino near the Chong Anma pass, described as a cyber fraud site but occupied by the Cambodian army.

The truce has been fragile since November, when Bangkok unilaterally suspended the agreement following incidents involving PMN-2 anti-personnel mines attributed to Cambodia, the recent use of which was confirmed by an ASEAN observer mission. On this basis, Thailand sought a response from the United Nations on the sidelines of the meeting of the States Parties to the Ottawa Convention, to which both countries are signatories. The two capitals are blaming each other for the first attacks in this new sequence, against a backdrop of persistent disagreement over the border inherited from the colonial period.

On the ground, friction points are multiplying, from the provinces of Sisaket and Ubon Ratchathani to the disputed areas housing Khmer temples, including Ta Krabei, which the Thai army had promised to retake after the July clashes. Phnom Penh denounces an offensive against a dozen sites, while Bangkok cites the protection of routes targeted by Cambodian fire. The violence in July, marked by BM-21 rockets attributed to Cambodia and significant civilian casualties in Thailand, is fuelling a tense public climate.

Internal political calculations are further hardening positions. With Thai elections approaching in early 2026, Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul and the military leadership are stepping up their tough rhetoric, promising to neutralise Cambodia's military capabilities, a line also supported by the progressive opposition on border issues and the fight against cybercrime. In Phnom Penh, Hun Manet and the influential Hun Sen are playing the nationalist card, condemning an "aggression" and defending a response. A rapid de-escalation is unlikely. Le Monde

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