This week, Thailand and Cambodia’s maritime conflict heads to the UN. Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Rwanda attend talks in Geneva. Entrepreneur launches Arab world’s first social peace foundation.
Thailand and Cambodia’s Maritime Conflict Heads to the UN
Thailand and Cambodia are bringing their Maritime border conflict to the UN. From September 14 to 16, both country’s foreign ministers led delegations in the first conciliation meeting with the five-member UNCLOS commission in Singapore.
Cambodian Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn said his country wanted a treaty with Thailand delimiting one all-purpose maritime boundary. Thai Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow said Thailand had offered Cambodia an opportunity to hold direct talks, which Cambodia disregarded, before bringing the conflict to the UNCLOS conciliation process.
Thailand and Cambodia’s competing maritime territorial claims accelerated after Thailand terminated a 2001 Memorandum of Understanding with Cambodia in May 2026. Tensions between the two countries had already accelerated after a land border conflict intensified in the July 2025. This conflict came to a ceasefire in December 2025.
DRC and Rwanda Attend Talks in Geneva
Representatives of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Rwanda attended talks in Geneva from September 16 to 17 regarding the implementation of the 2025 Washington Accords. The two-day meeting of the Joint Security Coordination Mechanism (JSCM) also gathered mediators from the United States, Qatar, Togo and the African Union (AU) Commission.
The mechanism aims to monitor the implementation of security commitments between Rwanda and DRC. The key commitments outlined in the mechanism include the DRC’s obligation to neutralize the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), and Rwanda’s disengagement of forces and lifting of defensive measures. The Geneva talks will aim to focus on whether both countries can continue to progress on these commitments.
Meanwhile, the Rwanda-backed M23 armed group is not a party to the Washington agreement, despite playing a key role in the conflict that the agreement is meant to manage. Another peace process in Qatar focuses on the DRC government’s conflict with M23. On August 23, the government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and the M23 armed group released a statement saying they had agreed on a roadmap for peace talks. The new roadmap adds to the US-brokered framework signed in 2025, outlining steps and timelines for negotiations and implementations. Meanwhile, the UN peacekeeping mission MONUSCO is also due to support a ceasefire monitoring mechanism.
Egyptian Entrepreneur Launches Arab World’s First Social Peace Foundation
Egyptian entrepreneur Amira El-Sallab has launched the Arab world’s first foundation dedicated to social peace. El-Sallab says the foundation aims to help people think more calmly and by reducing the levels of anxiety and tension surrounding them. She added that a culture of social peace cannot come about only through slogans. Instead, she said, it requires education and training to become a deep part of people and produce results.
El-Sallab said the foundation is inspired by the vision of her late father, industrialist Mustafa El-Sallab, who advocated establishing a community-based institution for peace and coexistence.
Keywords: Thailand, Cambodia, DRC, Rwanda, Egyptian, Egypt, entrepreneur, peace, social peace, conflict, conflict resolution, ceasefire, Washington
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.
