BANGKOK: Thailand launched airstrikes along the disputed border with Cambodia on Monday as both sides accused the other of attacking first.
Tensions have simmered since the Southeast Asian neighbors signed a truce agreement in October pushed by US President Donald Trump after their territorial disputes led to five days of combat in July that killed dozens of soldiers and civilians.
Thai army spokesperson Maj. Gen. Winthai Suvaree said the Cambodian troops fired first into Thai territory in multiple areas. He said one Thai soldier was killed and four other soldiers were wounded, and civilians were being evacuated from the affected areas.
Thailand used aircraft “to strike military targets in several areas to suppress Cambodian supporting fire attacks,” he said.
Cambodian Defense Ministry spokesperson Maly Socheata said the Thai military attacked the Cambodian troops first. She said Cambodia did not retaliate during the initial attacks Monday.
“Cambodia urges that Thailand immediately stop all hostile activities that threaten peace and stability in the region,” she said.
The Cambodian Education Ministry said several schools along the border were ordered closed Monday. Photos and videos posted on its Facebook page showed young students running out of classes to their parents. Some rode on a motorcycles and others were seen walking away hurriedly.
A brief firing incident along the border occurred Sunday. The Thai army said Cambodia fired first and injured two Thai soldiers. It said the Thai troops retaliated, resulting in an exchange of fires for around 20 minutes. Cambodia however said the Thai side fired first and that it did not retaliate.
The US-brokered ceasefire that ended the brief conflict was threatened last month after Thai troops were injured by land mines, leading Thailand to announce that it would indefinitely suspending the implementation of the agreement. Both sides continue to trade accusations over responsibility, even as they are supposed to be cooperating in getting rid of the mines.
Trump said in mid-November he’d stopped a war between them as the tensions simmered.
Thailand and Cambodia have a history of enmity going back centuries, when they were warring empires.
Their modern territorial claims stem largely from a 1907 map drawn when Cambodia was under French colonial rule, which Thailand has argued is inaccurate.
The International Court of Justice in 1962 awarded sovereignty to Cambodia over an area that included the 1,000-year-old Preah Vihear temple, which still rankles many Thais.
The ceasefire does not spell out a path to resolve the underlying basis of the dispute, the longstanding differences over where the border should run.
Thailand launches airstrikes along border with Cambodia as tensions reignite
https://arab.news/pt37h
Thailand launches airstrikes along border with Cambodia as tensions reignite
- Thai army spokesperson Maj. Gen. Winthai Suvaree said Cambodian troops fired first into Thai territory in multiple areas
- Thailand used aircraft ‘to strike military targets in several areas to suppress Cambodian supporting fire attacks’
US sanctions network recruiting Colombian fighters for Sudanese paramilitary
- Hurley said the RSF has shown “its brutality has deepened the conflict and destabilized the region”
- Treasury says RSF was supported by Colombian fighters when it captured El-Fasher
WASHINGTON: The US imposed sanctions on four people and four firms for their alleged involvement in a transnational network that recruits former Colombian military members who train soldiers to fight for the Sudanese paramilitary group known as the Rapid Support Forces.
The Rapid Support Forces, which has been at war with the Sudanese military since April 2023 has been accused of war crimes by Amnesty International and the UN’s Human Rights Chief Volker Türk said this month that he fears “a new wave of atrocities ” in Sudan amid a surge in fierce fighting in the Kordofan region in central Sudan.
Included in the Tuesday sanctions are Alvaro Andres Quijano Becerra, a retired Colombian military officer and his wife, an employment agency manager named Mateo Andres Duque Botero, and a number of staffing agencies that have allegedly processed payroll for the Colombian fighters.
Treasury’s Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence John K. Hurley said the RSF has shown “its brutality has deepened the conflict and destabilized the region, creating the conditions for terrorist groups to grow.”
According to the UN the conflict in Sudan has killed 40,000 people — though some rights groups say the death toll is significantly higher — and has created the world’s worst humanitarian crisis with over 14 million displaced. Many areas have experienced famine.
The US government has accused the RSF of genocide in Darfur, and the International Criminal Court has said it is investigating suspected war crimes.
Treasury says RSF was supported by Colombian fighters when it captured El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, on October 26 after an 18-month siege. The city, where dozens of unarmed men were executed and women and girls were raped, was the military’s last stronghold in the sprawling region of Darfur.
President Donald Trump has stated he wants to end the civil war in Sudan. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was recently in Washington D.C. in November and requested Trump’s help to end the war.
And Kenyan President William Ruto during a December meeting with Trump asked for Trump’s support in “efforts to resolve the humanitarian catastrophe in Sudan.”
