Cambodia and Thailand have resumed a ceasefire after sporadic fighting along the two nations border, according to U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday.
The first ceasefire that halted intense border clashes between the two militaries was brokered by Malaysia in July, and then backed up by President Trump after the White House issued ultimatums on increased tariffs if the fighting continued.
President Trump, who has remained at the center of multiple conflicts throughout the world, announced on social media: "They [Cambodia-Thailand] have agreed to CEASE all shooting effective this evening, and go back to the original Peace Accord made with me, and them, with the help of the Great Prime Minister of Malaysia, Anwar Ibrahim."
Although receiving a flurry of praise from several world leaders regarding his eagerness to pursue global peace efforts and for playing a part in resolving numerous international conflicts since retaking office in January, officials close to the White House hint that the U.S. president remains frustrated over stalled talks surrounding the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Border clashes have been sporadic between the two Southeast Asian nations over the past two weeks, killing 20 people, according to Al Jazeera, and displacing hundreds of thousands of civilians.
The Thai government announced earlier this week that it was launching a massive effort to evacuate 500,000 residents from the Thai-Cambodian border.
In November, clashes flared up after several Thai soldiers were wounded due to landmines along the international border. The most recent eruption of violence–igniting a few weeks ago–was sparked when a Thai engineering team was allegedly fired upon by Cambodian troops.
Feelings of mutual enmity between the two nations stem from a series of Franco-Siamese treaties in 1907, which mapped the newly defined boundary lines between Thailand and Cambodia, giving rise to decades of unresolved territorial disputes between the two governments.
