Much less than two months after the signing of the Kuala Lumpur peace accord — broadly promoted by President Donald Trump as a signature diplomatic achievement — renewed combating between Thailand and Cambodia has solid doubt on the truce’s longevity.
In a recent spherical of hostilities between Thailand and Cambodia, the Royal Thai Air Power (RTAF) F-16 fighter jets launched airstrikes on Cambodia on December 8. That is probably the most critical confrontation between the 2 states since they agreed to a ceasefire in July 2025 after days of heavy combating over a border dispute.
A Thai military spokesman, Colonel Winthai Suvaree, mentioned Cambodian troops opened hearth first with rifles, machine weapons, and rockets. He mentioned that the airstrikes focused Cambodian army infrastructure.
“The goal was at Cambodia’s arms supporting positions within the space of Chong An Ma Go, as a result of these targets had used artillery and mortar launchers to assault the Thai facet at Anupong Base, leading to one soldier killed,” Suvaree mentioned.
F-16A Combating Falcons with the Royal Thai Air Power have carried out a number of strikes on the Chong Arn Ma On line casino, throughout from the Nam Yuen District, Ubon Ratchathani Province of Southern Thailand, an deserted on line casino close to the border between Thailand and Cambodia which reportedly… pic.twitter.com/qVyskfFO0z
— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) December 8, 2025
Individually, the RTAF accused Cambodia of mobilising heavy weaponry, repositioning fight items, and making ready fire-support components, warning that this might escalate army operations and threaten the Thai border. Nonetheless, Cambodia has dismissed these allegations as “false info.”
Each Thailand and Cambodia have accused the opposite of launching the strikes and inflicting escalation.
Notably, the escalation doubtlessly marks an finish to the “peace plan” signed by each states on the behest of US President Donald Trump.
In response to the July 2025 flare-up, US President Donald Trump intervened diplomatically, leveraging cellphone calls with Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet to safe an preliminary ceasefire on July 28, as a part of his “peacemaking” deal.
Constructing on this, Trump linked further de-escalation to US commerce incentives, together with reciprocal commerce agreements and tariff threats.
The ceasefire was adopted by the signing of a “peace accord” by the Thai and Cambodian leaders in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in October 2025. The settlement was described as “a momentous day for South East Asia.”
As a part of this deal, each Southeast Asian nations agreed to take away their heavy weaponry from the disputed border and arrange an interim observer group to maintain vigil. It additionally included a particular provision for humanitarian de-mining and the removing of unexploded ordnance (UXO) alongside their shared border. Either side pledged to put in non permanent boundary markers instead of any lacking ones.
Trump hailed it as a “historic” and “monumental” achievement, renaming the modest declaration the “Kuala Lumpur Peace Accords”.
Nonetheless, consultants mentioned it was extra of a brief pause than a complete decision to the border battle.
In actual fact, the cracks began to point out shortly after the declaration was signed. Whereas Cambodia nominated Trump for a Nobel Peace Prize, Thai officers downplayed it as merely a “pathway to peace,” emphasising bilateral decision with out exterior mediation.
Thailand refused to recognise the deal as “Kuala Lumpur Peace Accords,” a title floated by Trump. As an alternative, they referred to it as “Joint Declaration by the prime ministers of Thailand and Cambodia on the outcomes of their assembly in Kuala Lumpur.”
Sporadic incidents started to fray the deal days after signing, together with Thailand’s accusations that Cambodia had planted new landmines. Final month, after a landmine wounded 4 Thai troopers, the Thai Prime Minister Charnvirakul suspended the deal.
The accords lasted lower than two months, spilling chilly water on Trump’s much-hyped peace deal.
Taking to his social media platform Reality Social after the Kuala Lumpur accords, Trump positioned himself as “President of Peace,” together with claims that he had ended eight wars in eight months.
He was referring to the wars between Israel and Hamas, Israel and Iran, Pakistan and India, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, Thailand and Cambodia, Armenia and Azerbaijan, Egypt and Ethiopia, and Serbia and Kosovo.
Trump’s Peace Plans In Shambles?
Of the eight wars that Trump claimed to have ended, the Thailand-Cambodia battle appears to have damaged out once more.
In the meantime, India has denied repeated claims that Trump intervened within the Indo-Pakistan battle in Might 2025 and ended the four-day intense conflict triggered by Operation Sindoor.
On Might 10, Trump wrote on social media that the 2 nations reached a “full and instant ceasefire” following a “lengthy night time” of negotiations mediated by Washington.
Reiterating these claims in October, he mentioned, “When you take a look at India and Pakistan, they have been able to go at it. Seven planes have been shot down. They’re nuclear powers. I don’t wish to say precisely what I mentioned, however what I mentioned was very efficient. They stopped. And that was based mostly on tariffs. It was based mostly on commerce.”
Whereas Pakistan has recognised Trump’s function in ending the conflict and nominated him for the Nobel Peace Prize, India has persistently denied any third-party intervention and asserted that the ceasefire was achieved after discussions between the Administrators Basic of Army Operations (DGMOs) of either side.
Moreover, tensions proceed to simmer between India and Pakistan and New Delhi has asserted that it’s Operation Sindoor (to focus on terrorists in and outdoors Pakistan) will not be over. It seems to be a truce hanging by a thread.
The opposite peace plan that Trump prides himself on is the one reached between Israel and Hamas, which apparently helped finish the Gaza conflict.
In September 2025, Trump unveiled a complete 20-point plan aimed toward ending the Gaza conflict, which had raged for over two years since October 2023.
The proposal emphasised a right away ceasefire, hostage and prisoner exchanges, demilitarisation of Gaza, internationalOctober 9 oversight, and large-scale reconstruction. Trump described it as a October 10urable, and eternal peace,” with no Israeli annexation of Gaza or new settlements.
It was signed in its first part by Israel and Hamas on October 9, 2025, in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, resulting in a ceasefire efficient October 10. The primary part of the plan is now full, and Trump introduced that Part 2 will start “fairly quickly,” doubtlessly by Christmas.
Nonetheless, an Al Jazeera report printed in December 2025 stJune 23rael has damaged the ceasefire greater than 500 instances since October 2025, killing at the very least 356 Palestinians and greater than 70,000 individuals general in Gaza.
The claims concerning ending the Israel-Iran conflict are extra aspirational.
On 23 June, Trump posted: “Formally, Iran will begin the CEASEFIRE and, upon the twelfth Hour, Israel will begin the CEASEFIRE and, upon the twenty fourth Hour, an Official END to THE 12 DAY WAR shall be saluted by the World.” The announcement was made after the USA bombed Iran’s nuclear services as a part of ‘Operation Midnight Hammer’ to interrupt the stalemate within the 12-day conflict between Israel and Iran.
Whereas the ceasefire ended hostilities, each nations stay one another’s greatest adversaries, and peace stays elusive. Either side are bolstering their respective militaries to discourage and construct capabilities for future conflict.
After the conflict ended, Iran’s Supreme Chief, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, claimed his nation had achieved a “decisive victory” following the top of hostilities. In the meantime, Israel has used messaging that hinted that it may strike Tehran once more to counter new threats rising from the Islamic Republic.
Trump additionally claimed to place an finish to the conflict between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
An extended-standing animosity between the 2 nations erupted after the Rwanda-backed M23 insurgent group took management of the mineral-rich area in jap DR Congo earlier within the yr.
In June 2025, Trump administration officers oversaw a preliminary peace accord signed by the overseas ministers of Rwanda and the DRC on the White Home. Trump hailed it as ending “one of many worst wars anybody’s ever seen,” emphasising financial incentives like US entry to the area’s mineral sources.
This was adopted by the signing of a US-mediated peace deal between DRC President Félix Tshisekedi and Rwandan President Paul Kagame in Washington.
“IDecember 4t day for Africa, a fantastic day for the world,” the US President mentioned earlier than the leaders signed the pact. “As we speak, we’re succeeding the place so many others have failed,” he added.
Nonetheless, combating resumed inside hours of the December 4 ceremony, with clashes between DRC forces and M23 in South Kivu province, inflicting civilian deaths, displacement, and mutual accusations of violations.
Curiously, Donald Trump claimed ending a conflict between Egypt and Ethiopia, though there was no conflict, simply tensions over Ethiopia’s Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam on the River Nile.
Trump mentioned, “If I have been Egypt, I’d need the water within the Nile”, and promised that the US was going to resolve the problem in a short time. Egypt welcomed TJune 27words, however Ethiopian officers mentioned they risked inflaming tensions.
The President, now additionally identified for his love for the coveted Peace Prize, additionally claims to have ended the hostility between Serbia and Kosovo.
On June 27, he mentioned, “Serbia, Kosovo was going to go at it, going to be a giant conflict. I advised you to go at it; there’s no commerce with the USA. They mentioned, Properly, perhaps we gained’t go at it.” Curiously, though Serbia and Kosovo have remained marred in tensions for the reason that Balkan Wars of the Nineteen Nineties and on account of Kosovo’s independence, there has not been an armed battle.
Neither facet has fired on the different, nor have they agreed to a peace plan.
In current instances, Trump has intensified efforts to finish the Russia-Ukraine conflict, which is quick approaching its four-year mark.
A draft pDecember 8leaked in November 2025 proposed that Ukraine hand over further occupied territory within the east, cap the dimensions of its army, and vow by no means to affix NATO. Kyiv criticised the plan as being very pro-Russia and unjust.
On December 8, Zelensky mentioned talks on the US-brokered peace plan stay deadlocked over management of jap Ukraine.
Neither Russian President Vladimir Putin nor Ukrainian chief Volodymyr Zelenskyy has proven enthusiasm concerning the potential deal, and hostilities proceed unabated.
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