Armed conflict between Thailand and Cambodia entered its second day on Tuesday, with both countries announcing they were already on the brink of complete collapse, defying US demands to stop fighting and abide by a months-old peace deal brokered by President Trump.
At least eight people have been killed since the latest skirmishes began, according to reports from both sides. By Tuesday, fighting had spread to more points along the disputed border, with some areas claiming rocket and drone attacks.
Approximately 400,000 people living along the border that divides Southeast Asian countries have been displaced by the latest escalation in border disputes.
In a sit-down interview with CNN, Thailand’s Foreign Minister Sihasak Phunketkeo said military action would continue “until we feel our sovereignty and territorial integrity is not threatened,” hinting that the conflict could escalate.
Thailand and Cambodia have been in a decades-long territorial dispute along their 500-mile (800-kilometer) land border, the most violent conflict since a deadly five-day conflict in July.
Less than two months after the much-vaunted ceasefire that Trump championed and hailed as proof of his ability to end the war, the already fragile peace deal appears to be on the verge of collapse.
Here’s what you need to know:
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Both sides have accused each other of firing first, but CNN has not been able to confirm who fired the first shot.
According to the Royal Thai Air Force, Cambodia was mobilizing heavy weapons and repositioning its combat forces.
Cambodia’s Ministry of Defense denied the allegations. The Cambodian military said the Thai military “carried out numerous provocations over a period of days,” but did not provide details.
The Thai military said gunfire was reported on Tuesday in six of Thailand’s seven provinces that border Cambodia.
The navy said the Cambodian military fired heavy weapons, including BM-21 rockets, into civilian areas and accused Cambodia of deploying special operations forces and snipers to the border, digging trenches to fortify positions and invading Thai territory in the coastal province of Trat, posing a “direct and serious threat to Thailand’s sovereignty.”
The Cambodian military said on Tuesday that Thai forces conducted “continuous firing throughout the night” using “large drones” and “toxic smoke” in several border areas.
According to the Cambodian Ministry of Interior, seven Cambodian civilians were killed and about 20 injured. Thailand announced that one soldier was killed.
The UN Secretary-General and the European Union called on both sides to exercise restraint. A senior US administration official also told CNN on Monday that “President Trump is committed to a continued cessation of violence and expects the governments of Cambodia and Thailand to fully implement their commitments to end this conflict.”
However, there appears to have been little effort on the ground to ease tensions.
Thailand’s Foreign Minister Sihasak told CNN that Thailand would not rule out further attacks and that military operations would continue “until we determine that our sovereignty and territorial integrity is not threatened.”
And on Monday, Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul told reporters in Bangkok that “Cambodia must comply with (Thailand’s) demands to stop the fighting.”
Asked about the peace deal that President Trump signed and supported in Malaysia, he said, “I don’t remember that anymore.”
“Our armed forces of all kinds must fight back at every point where the enemy attacks,” Hun Sen, Cambodia’s influential former leader and current Senate president, said in a Facebook post on Tuesday.
The fiery rhetoric underscores the deep-seated suspicions and mistrust between the two countries that have come to define relations since the deadly July conflict that left dozens dead and some 200,000 displaced on both sides of the frontier.
The agreement was signed in Malaysia in October. Trump, who presided over the ceremony, had previously helped mediate the deal, threatening not to sign a trade deal if both countries refused.
However, tensions have been high for several weeks, including a mine explosion in November that injured four Thai soldiers.
Following the explosion, Thailand halted all work on a peace deal and accused Cambodia of violating the joint declaration by laying new mines, a claim Cambodia vehemently denies. The provisional release of 18 Cambodian prisoners of war captured in the July fighting was also suspended.
President Trump saw the peace deal as a major diplomatic victory and a further boost to his vaunted and often exaggerated campaign to end several wars.
The conflict stems from former colonial power France’s mapping of Cambodia’s borders, and analysts have warned there is a long road ahead before a lasting peace deal is reached. The peace declaration did not resolve the territorial issue.
“It’s up to Cambodia and Thailand to resolve the situation,” Thai Foreign Minister Sihasak said in response to CNN’s question about whether Thailand plans to discuss the recent border clashes with President Trump.
