This week, Thailand and Cambodia agree to 13-point ceasefire deal. M23 attacks risk threatening ceasefire. Syria’s ceasefire remains tense.
Thailand and Cambodia Agree to 13-Point Ceasefire Deal
This week, Thailand and Cambodia began talks about critical border security in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. A secretary-level meeting from August 4 to 6 aimed to prepare representatives from both countries for high-stakes ministerial talks on August 7.
The talks addressed six critical issues, The Nation reported: proposals for troop withdrawal and the establishment of safe zones; demilitarised zones or mutually acceptable oversight mechanisms to reduce long-term tensions; investigating incidents that occurred before the ceasefire, including clarification of military and civilian casualties; the establishment of local coordination channels; Thailand’s push for an intelligence information exchange system; and exploring the restoration of economic and social cooperation.
On the second day of the preliminary talks, Thailand made an eight-point proposal which aimed to sustain the preciously reached truce with Cambodia. On August 5, the Thai government’s Thai-Cambodian border situation management centre announced on Facebook that both sides had agreed on certain parts in principle. Thai Deputy Defence Minister Gen Nattaphon Narkphanit said that if Cambodia agreed to all eight Thai proposals, the issues would be cleared for final approval at the main General Border Committee (GBC) meeting. If the two parties only reached a partial agreement, the points that were agreed upon would be documented, and the rest would be deferred to the next round of discussions, he said.
At the meeting on August 7, the two countries agreed to a 13-point ceasefire deal.
M23 Attacks Risk Threatening DRC Ceasefire
Attacks by the M23 armed group in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) risk threatening the ceasefire deal signed on July 19 between M23 and the DRC government. On August 6, the UN human rights office (OHCHR) said it had received first-hand accounts indicating that at least 319 civilians were killed by M23 fighters, aided by members of the Rwanda Defence Force, between 9 and 21 July in North Kivu province.
Most victims were farmers camping in their fields during the planting season. Among them were at least 48 women and 19 children.
Despite the July 19 ceasefire, and the peace deal signed by DRC and Rwanda on June 27, humanitarian NGOs say that little has changed on the ground. Other armed groups have wreaked havoc on eastern DRC as well, including the Islamist group Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), which a Christian community in Ituri on July 27, killing 40 people. Meanwhile, 7.8 million people are internally displaced, and 28 million people face food insecurity.
On July 29, Anadolu Ajensi reported that M23 rebels captured two villages in Masisi territory in eastern DRC, forcing villagers to flee. AA reported that fighting continues between M23 forces and Wazalendo militias, who support the Congolese army, across North Kivu and South Kivu provinces.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk condemned the “surge of deadly violence,” declaring, “I urge the signatories and facilitators of both the Doha and Washington agreements to ensure that they rapidly translate into safety, security and real progress for civilians.”
Syria’s Ceasefire Remains Tense
The ceasefire in Syria’s southern Sweida province remains tense amidst the conflict between members of the Druze minority and Sunni Bedouin fighters. Between August 3 and 4, government-affiliated fighters clashed with Druze armed groups in the province. Meanwhile, in Syria’s north, government-affiliated fighters clashed with Kurdish-led forces who control much of the region, The Associated Press reported.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that one Druze, one member of security forces, and nine others were killed.
State media said Druze militia factions attacked Syrian security forces, killing at least one member, citing an anonymous security official who said the ceasefire had been broken.
Amidst the recent violence in Syria, government forces deployed to quell the violence have been accused of joining in attacks against the Druze community. On July 22, international media reported that one man, Hosam Saraya, 35 part of a family of eight Druze executed, was a US citizen from Oklahoma. A school in Sweida that Saraya founded blamed government-linked fighters for the attack.
These developments come amidst rising fears for Syrian minorities. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says that more than 1,700 people were killed in a predominantly Alawite region of Syria’s coast in March. A government committee identified 298 suspects implicated in serious violations during violence in the region.
Keywords: Thailand, Cambodia, DRC, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Congo, DR Congo, Syria, Druze, 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.
