Renewed fighting between Thailand and Cambodia has killed at least 41 people and forced hundreds of thousands of civilians to flee their homes, as clashes along the two countries’ disputed border intensify despite repeated diplomatic efforts to restore a ceasefire.

According to officials, at least 22 people have been killed in Thailand and 19 in Cambodia during the latest round of violence, which has seen the use of tanks, drones, artillery and air power. The fighting is centered on a long-running territorial dispute linked to colonial-era border demarcations along their 800-kilometre frontier, where several ancient temple ruins lie in contested areas.

Cambodia’s Interior Ministry said more than half a million people have been displaced by the conflict. In a statement, the ministry said 518,611 Cambodians, including large numbers of women and children, have been evacuated from homes and schools to escape artillery fire, rockets and aerial bombardments, accusing Thailand of using F-16 fighter jets in the attacks.

Thailand, meanwhile, said around 400,000 people have been displaced on its side of the border as fighting continues in multiple areas.

Each side has accused the other of instigating the renewed hostilities and targeting civilians. The latest escalation follows earlier clashes in July that killed dozens over five days of fighting. That round was halted by a ceasefire brokered by the United States, China and Malaysia, but the truce quickly collapsed.

In October, US President Donald Trump backed a joint declaration between Bangkok and Phnom Penh to extend the truce, announcing it during talks in Kuala Lumpur and highlighting potential new trade deals. However, Thailand suspended the agreement the following month after Thai soldiers were wounded by landmines while patrolling the border.

Bangkok accused Cambodia of laying new mines—an allegation Phnom Penh has strongly denied.

Trump, who has publicly listed the Thailand–Cambodia dispute among conflicts he claims to have resolved, said earlier this month that the two sides had agreed to a new ceasefire. Thai authorities, however, rejected that claim, saying no such agreement had been reached. Fighting has continued daily since a border skirmish on December 7 triggered the current escalation.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Friday that Washington was pushing for Cambodia and Thailand to reach a new ceasefire by Monday or Tuesday. Meanwhile, foreign ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), including those of Thailand and Cambodia, are scheduled to meet on Monday in Kuala Lumpur in an effort to find a diplomatic solution.

China has also stepped up its mediation efforts. Beijing sent its special envoy for Asian affairs, Deng Xijun, to both countries last week in a bid to “rebuild peace.” Cambodia’s Foreign Ministry said Deng met Prime Minister Hun Manet in Phnom Penh on Friday and urged both sides to agree to a truce.

Cambodia said on Sunday that Thai forces continued attacking since dawn, with fighting reported near the 900-year-old Preah Vihear temple, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that has long been a flashpoint in the dispute.

The area around the temple was the scene of major clashes in 2008, followed by sporadic violence over several years that killed at least two dozen people. A 2013 ruling by the International Court of Justice clarified the border in Cambodia’s favor, effectively calming tensions for more than a decade.

However, the current crisis began to unfold in May this year after a Cambodian soldier was killed in a fresh clash, reopening old wounds and reigniting one of Southeast Asia’s most sensitive territorial disputes.

As fighting continues and displacement rises on both sides of the border, regional and international actors are racing to prevent a further escalation that could destabilize the wider region. (ILKHA)