This week, despite violation accusations, Thailand and Cambodia reaffirm ceasefire. Palestinian activist involved in Oscar-winning documentary killed in West Bank. African Union says no to Sudan RSF’s parallel government.
Despite Violation Accusations, Thailand and Cambodia Reaffirm Ceasefire
Even though Thailand accused Cambodia of violating the ceasefire between them twice, the two countries reaffirmed the ceasefire after a China-brokered meeting in Shanghai.
Cambodia has denied violating the ceasefire, and brought military attaches and diplomats to a border checkpoint destroyed by fighting to verify the ceasefire. Despite these disagreements, the ceasefire mostly remains intact.
Fighting broke out between the two countries on July 24, a day after a landmine explosion injured five Thai soldiers, including one who lost his leg. However, the series of events that led to the escalation were disputed between the two countries, with both sides blaming the other. The fighting killed at least 43 people, including many civilians, and displaced over 300,000 in both countries, Reuters reported on June 29.
To read PNN’s full report on the situation, click here.
Palestinian Activist Involved in Oscar-Winning Documentary Killed in West Bank
A Palestinian activist who worked as a consultant for the award-winning documentary No Other Land was killed in the West Bank on July 28. The activist, Awdah Hathaleen, 31, was an English teacher from the village of Umm al-Khair. He filmed parts of the documentary, which explores the reality for Palestinians living under Israel’s occupation.
Hathaleen was shot and killed in front of a community center, allegedly by an Israeli settler sanctioned by the EU and UK last year.
Settler violence is a dire issue in the West Bank, and one of the major threats to peace in the Israel-Palestine conflict. Since Hamas’s attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, the attacks have increased. The UN recorded 1,423 settler attacks on Palestinians from October 7, 2023 to September 30, 2024, of which 140 led to Palestinian casualties.
African Union Says No to Sudan RSF’s Parallel Government
The African Union (AU) is saying no to a move by Sudan’s Rapis Support Forces (RSF) to form a parallel administration in territory it controls.
In a statement on July 30, the AU’s Peace and Security Council called on member states and the international community “not [to] recognise the so-called ‘parallel government’ which has serious consequences on the peace efforts and the existential future of the country,” RFI reported. The council argued the move risked fragmenting Sudan, and expressed support for a transitional government formed in May.
The Sudanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement that the move was “the best evidence of its defeat and rout at the hands of the armed forces.”
This development comes after last week, the UN reported that over 1.3 million Sudanese people, including one million who were internally displaced and over 300,000 refugees, have returned home. Othman Belbeisi, regional director of the International Organization of Migration (IOM), said “The thousands of people seeking to return home are driven by hope, resilience and an enduring connection to their country.”
Sudan’s civil war born out of a power struggle between Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) leader Abel Fattah al-Burhan and RSF leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti. The conflict has left the country in what US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has described as the “world’s largest humanitarian crisis, leaving over 25 million Sudanese facing acute food insecurity and over 600,000 experiencing famine.”
Keywords: Thailand, Cambodia, Palestine, Israel, Sudan, African Union, settler violence, peace, conflict, conflict resolution, RSF, Rapid Support Forces
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.
