This week, Thailand and Cambodia’s peace deal interrupted by landmine explosion. Despite Islamabad blast, Pakistan seeks dialogue. Trial over DRC atrocities opens for former rebel leader in Paris. UN humanitarian chief says talks with Sudan leader “constructive.”
Thailand and Cambodia’s Peace Deal Interrupted by Landmine Explosion
Thailand halted its peace deal with Cambodia after a landmine exploded and injured two Thai soldiers near the border on November 10. This development came after US President Donald Trump helped to broker a deal between the two countries in July, and both countries signed an expanded truce in Malaysia in October.
Thailand and Cambodia’s border conflict escalated on July 24, 2025, after a landmine explosion injured five Thai soldiers, including one who lost his leg. However, the series of events that led to the escalation was disputed between the two countries, with both sides blaming the other.
Thailand and Cambodia exchanged artillery fire and rocket strikes, and the Thai Air Force launched F-16 airstrikes, marking the worst fighting between the two since 2011. The fighting killed at least 43 people, including many civilians, and displaced over 300,000 in both countries, Reuters reported on June 29.
Despite Islamabad Blast, Pakistan Seeks Dialogue
Despite a bombing in Islamabad that killed 12 people on November 11, which was claimed by the Pakistani Taliban, Pakistan is seeking dialogue. Pakistani Prime Minister Shebhaz Sharif on November 12 offered talks to the Taliban in Afghanistan. Although he said that there were “Afghan footprints” in the attack, Shebhaz insisted that Pakistan wanted peace in the region.
“We want peace to prevail,” Shebhaz said, adding “Afghanistan should realize that what is good for us is good for them. But it cannot be that they make promises and then fail to act.”
The Afghan Taliban did not immediately respond to Sharif’s offer.
Pakistan says that Pakistani Taliban militants who have increased attacks on Pakistan operate from Afghanistan. The conflict between the two countries intensified when Pakistan carried out airstrikes on Kabul on October 9, 2025.
Trial Over DRC Atrocities Opens for Former Rebel Leader in Paris
On November 12, the trial of Congolese former rebel leader Roger Lumbala opened in Paris over atrocities committed during the Second Congo War from 1998 to 2003. Lumbala has been charged with “criminal conspiracy to prepare crimes against humanity” and “complicity of crimes against humanity,” The Associated Press reported.
Lubala, 67, led the Congolese Rally for National Democracy, a Uganda-backed group accused of atrocities against civilians, particularly the Nande and Bambuti ethnic minorities in eastern DRC in 2002 and 2003. UN investigators also accuse Lubala’s paramilitaries of targeting pygmies. rfi reports that dozens of victims are expected to testify before the verdict is made on December 19, 2025. Lumbala faces the possibility of imprisonment for life.
Several NGOs including Clooney Foundation for Justice, TRIAL International, Minority Rights Group, Justice Plus, and PAP-RDC issued a joint statement in October, 2025 in support of what they described as a “historic trial.”
UN Humanitarian Chief Calls Talks With Sudan Leader “Constructive”
UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher said that his talks with Sudan’s army leader Abdel Fattah al-Burhan on November 11 were “constructive.” The talks aimed to ensure that life-saving aid reaches all areas of the country.
Fletcher said, “I very much welcome the constructive conversations with President Burhan this afternoon, aimed at ensuring we can continue to operate everywhere across Sudan to deliver in a neutral, independent and impartial way for all those in such dire need.”
This development comes as Sudan’s humanitarian situation has worsened, leaving every two out of three people needing aid. It remains to be seen if humanitarian forces will be able to distribute aid in the country.
Last week, Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group said that it agreed to a “humanitarian ceasefire.” However, since then, there have been reports of violent attacks by the group.
Keywords: Thailand, Cambodia, Pakistan, Afghanistan, DRC, Sudan, peace, conflict, conflict resolution
Tara Abhasakun
Tara Abhasakun is Peace News Network (PNN)'s managing editor. She is journalist based in Christchurch, New Zealand, and formerly in Bangkok, Thailand. She has reported on a range of human rights issues involving youth protests in Thailand, as well as arts and culture. Tara's work has appeared in several outlets, including Al Jazeera and South China Morning Post.
