Thailand and Cambodia agree on ceasefire to end weeks of deadly fighting

Thailand and Cambodia said they have signed a ⁠ceasefire ​agreement to end weeks of fierce fighting along their border that has killed more than 100 people and displaced more than half a million civilians in both countries.

“Both sides agree to an immediate ceasefire after the time of signature of this Joint Statement,” ‍the Thai and Cambodian defence ⁠ministers said in a statement on Saturday.

“Both sides agree to maintain current troop deployments without further movement,” the ministers said.

The ceasefire took effect at noon local time (05:00 GMT) on Saturday and extends to “all types of weapons” and “attacks on civilians, civilian objects and infrastructures, and military objectives of either side, in all cases and all areas”.

Al Jazeera’s Assed Baig, reporting from the Cambodian border city of Poipet, said the “guns seem to have fallen silent” as both sides adhered to the truce.

“But I must tell you, right up until the point of that ceasefire being implemented, there was some intense firing going on… really, really intense – right up until that moment. And it kind of gives you the idea of how fragile this actually is,” Baig said.

“That doesn’t instil a great deal of confidence in people here who want to return home and will be watching if this ceasefire will hold,” he said.

Ceasefire terms and reactions

The agreement, signed by Thai Defence Minister Natthaphon Narkphanit and his Cambodian counterpart Tea Seiha, ‌ends 20 days of fighting, the worst between the two Southeast Asian neighbours in years.

As part of the deal, Thailand has agreed to return 18 Cambodian soldiers – captured in previous clashes – 72 hours after the ceasefire “has been fully maintained”.

At the same time, the two sides agreed to refrain from taking “provocative actions that may escalate tensions” and avoid “disseminating false information” in order to de-escalate tensions.

A team of observers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) will monitor the implementation of the current agreement, the deal states, adding that both countries have also agreed to maintain open communication “to resolve” any possible issues on the ground.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres welcomed the agreement as “a positive step towards alleviating the suffering of civilians, ending current hostilities, and creating an environment conducive to achieving lasting peace”.

Separately, China also welcomed the agreement, stating: “This proves that dialogue and consultation is a viable and effective way to resolve complex disputes.”

On Sunday, Cambodian Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn is scheduled to travel to Yunnan, China, to hold a trilateral meeting with his Thai counterpart and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.

The meeting is being billed as a “mutual confidence” building initiative aimed at restoring “peace, security, and stability” along the border, according to a statement on Saturday.

Malaysia also welcomed the welcomed the agreement between the two sides. “The decision to halt fighting and to hold forces in place reflects a shared recognition that restraint is required, above all in the interest of civilians,” Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim wrote on X.

The US on Saturday also welcomed the ceasefire and urged the two countries to implement the Kuala Lumpur peace agreement, referring to a truce the two sides signed in October in Malaysia’s capital in the presence of US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Ibrahim.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio urged Cambodia and Thailand “to immediately honour this commitment and fully implement the terms of the Kuala Lumpur Peace Accords,” according to a statement.

Meanwhile, Japan’s Press Secretary Toshihiro Kitamura said Tokyo welcomed the agreement and “strongly hopes the ceasefire will be steadily implemented”.

Additionally, EU foreign affairs spokesman Anouar El Anouni, in a post on X, thanked “ASEAN for playing a positive part” and called on Cambodia and Thailand to implement the agreement “in good faith”. The European bloc was ready to provide any needed support, he added.

Al Jazeera’s Baig reported that “the next 72 hours is crucial” for the success of the truce and hundreds of thousands of displaced civilians will likely not make any move to return home until their safety is ensured.

The conflict stems from territorial disputes along the neighbours ‘ 800-kilometre (500-mile) border, where ancient temples are claimed by both sides and colonial-era frontier demarcations have been resented by both countries for more than a century.

In the most recent outbreak of violence, five days of fighting in July killed dozens of people before a truce was brokered by the United States, China and Malaysia. That truce was broken earlier this month.

Each side blamed the other for instigating the fresh fighting and have traded accusations of deliberate attacks on civilians.