The renewed border conflict between Thailand and Cambodia has triggered a massive humanitarian crisis, with over half a million civilians forced to flee their homes in a desperate search for safety. As artillery and airstrikes continue along the disputed frontier, the escalating violence has shattered a fragile U.S.-brokered ceasefire and drawn urgent calls for peace from the international community.
The scale of the evacuation is unprecedented in the recent history of the conflict. Thai officials reported moving more than 400,000 people to safe shelters across seven border provinces. On the Cambodian side, authorities confirmed evacuating over 101,000 people from five provinces. Combined, the total number of displaced individuals has now surpassed 500,000, exceeding the roughly 300,000 people displaced during a major bout of fighting in July 2025. Many evacuees are experiencing displacement for the second time in just four months, with families taking shelter in schools, university halls, and makeshift camps.
The fighting, which reignited in early December, has quickly intensified and spread. Clashes have been reported across multiple provinces in both countries, involving exchanges of artillery, rocket fire, and drone strikes. Thailand has confirmed launching airstrikes using F-16 fighter jets against what it describes as military targets. Cambodia has accused Thai forces of firing indiscriminately into civilian towns and dropping bombs near villages. The human cost is rising, with casualty reports indicating at least 10 to 14 people killed, including both soldiers and civilians. Dozens more have been wounded.
The violence represents a direct breakdown of the "Kuala Lumpur Accords," a ceasefire agreement brokered by U.S. President Donald Trump and signed by both nations in October. The deal began to unravel in November when Thailand unilaterally suspended its implementation following a landmine incident that injured its soldiers. In response to the new fighting, President Trump stated he would "make a phone call" to the leaders of both countries to stop the war. However, Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul responded coolly, stating that any discussion would require "proper appointment and agreed talking points". U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres have both called for an immediate cessation of hostilities.
The current clashes are the latest eruption of a territorial dispute stretching back more than a century. The conflict originates from ambiguities in border maps drawn during the French colonial occupation of Cambodia. A key flashpoint is the ancient Preah Vihear temple complex, which the International Court of Justice awarded to Cambodia in 1962, though the surrounding territory remains contested. Periods of tension and sporadic clashes have occurred for decades, often fueled by nationalist sentiments. The situation deteriorated sharply in 2025 following a skirmish in May that killed a Cambodian soldier, leading to troop buildups, border restrictions, and the major July conflict that killed at least 48 people.