Thailand–Cambodia conflict: monitoring the situation

The sound of weapons has given way to calm. On 27 December, after three weeks of violent clashes along the 800 km shared border, Cambodia and Thailand reached a ceasefire agreement. This agreement was designed in two phases: a preliminary 72-hour stage, allowing the fighting to stop and opening a transition period; then the full implementation of the ceasefire at noon on 30 December. A week after the ceasefire came into effect, calm returned to the border areas.

Centres are reopening

This return to normal has enabled Children of the Mekong to resume its educational activities. Since the beginning of 2026, the centres in Sisophon, Preah Vihear, Samrong and Banteay Chhmar have once again been welcoming their sponsored children. Due to their proximity to the border, they had closed in the early days of the conflict. The public schools located next to the centres have also reopened, allowing children to return to the classroom.

The decision to reopen the centres was made in agreement with the local authorities. ‘We checked with the commune and district chiefs to ensure that safety was guaranteed and that the schools were reopening,’ explains Martin Maindiaux, Cambodia Director for Children of the Mekong. The centres are run by local employees and the children have been able to resume classes as normal.”

For the time being, Bamboo volunteers are not allowed to return to the Children of the Mekong centres in northern Cambodia. They are all located in an area that is ‘strongly discouraged’ or ‘discouraged unless absolutely necessary’ by the French Embassy.

DISPLACED PEOPLE MAKE THEIR WAY HOME

For displaced persons, a return to normal also seems to be on the horizon. While more than 500,000 people fled the combat zones, more than 100,000 displaced persons have returned to their homes in recent days. Only families living closest to the border have not yet returned, fearing for their safety; unexploded ordnance may still be present in the areas at the heart of the fighting.

The truce led to the release of 18 Cambodian soldiers on 31 December who had been held prisoner by Thailand since July 2025, during the first phase of the conflict. Their return to their country, which was one of the conditions of the ceasefire agreement between Phnom Penh and Bangkok, was seen as a sign of appeasement.

FRAGILE CEASEFIRE

Unfortunately, the ceasefire is still very fragile; the previous truce, agreed at the end of July, lasted only four months. This is because the thorny issue of the border demarcation has still not been resolved. Following the fighting in December, Thailand blocked access to several Cambodian villages, over which it claims sovereignty, by installing barbed wire and shipping containers on the roads. These obstacles are sometimes installed several hundred metres beyond the current border line, which Phnom Penh deplores.

The two countries are due to meet at the end of January as part of a joint border commission meeting to resume negotiations on the border demarcation. These negotiations remained unfinished during the previous truce, from July to December.

True to its values of solidarity, Children of the Mekong has mobilised to help the populations displaced by the conflict. Within three weeks, more than 1,700 families have benefited from donations of food and equipment in the displacement camps north of Sisophon. In the vicinity of Battambang, bambou volunteers have provided educational and recreational workshops for children. Children of the Mekong social workers also carried out awareness-raising missions to encourage families to take their children to the nearest school to ensure continuity of education.

Beyond this logistical support, coordinated from the Sisophon centre, the teams in Battambang help educate the youngest children. The programme includes activities, drawing and creative workshops.

“Since Tuesday, we have been spending three to four hours in the camps around the city playing with the children,’ explains Gabrielle Delignières, head of the Battambang youth centre. “We bring felt-tip pens, colouring books, balloons and ribbons to keep the youngest children occupied and entertain them in a fun way. We also give out notebooks so that school-age children can go back to school: most of them left without their school supplies, so we need to provide them with what they need to attend classes.”

In displacement areas, access to school has been made easier, allowing parents to enrol their children in the school closest to the camp. ‘Children of the Mekong social workers are raising awareness to encourage families to continue their children’s education,’ adds the volunteer.

These donations also demonstrate the commitment of former Children of the Mekong pupils, who are taking it upon themselves to help their fellow citizens.

This is the case, for example, of Khemra, a 32-year-old entrepreneur from Chouk Chey, on the Thai border, who now lives in Phnom Penh. From the capital, he collects and distributes food supplies to the inhabitants of his native region, who are collateral victims of the conflict.

“When I saw the hostilities resume, I immediately wanted to take action,’ says the young man, whom we met on Sunday at the Olympic Stadium in Phnom Penh. In July, the conflict was further away from my village. But this time, it is one of the places at the heart of the fighting. I collect all the food I can, as well as baby milk, nappies, clothes… There are a lot of children in the camps, so we have to think about their specific needs.”

On the ground, the situation continues to deteriorate: Thai strikes on Cambodian territory have increased in recent days, mainly in the provinces of Oddar Meanchey and Banteay Meanchey. Although they primarily target military sites or buildings suspected of harbouring ammunition, they are causing panic among the population. On Monday, a Thai bomb exploded just seven kilometres from a camp for displaced persons in Srei Snam, in Siem Reap province, causing the exodus of several thousand families.

Four days after hostilities resumed, Thailand struck deeper and deeper into Cambodian territory, up to 60 kilometres beyond the border.

In Thailand, the beneficiaries of our three programmes located in border areas are in safe places: some have found refuge in temporary government shelters or with relatives; others have left the border provinces, moving closer to Pattaya and Bangkok.

In Cambodia, as soon as hostilities resumed on 8 December, the country’s authorities ordered all residents of border areas to evacuate.

Faced with this rapid deterioration in the situation, Children of the Mekong decided to evacuate its centres in Preah Vihear and Sisophon, having already closed those in Banteay Chhmar and Samrong:

• In Preah Vihear, the families of sponsored children will come to collect them this evening to take them away from the conflict zones. Those sponsored children who are unable to rejoin their families will be transferred on Friday to Siem Reap, where they will be taken care of by the Catholic Church in the city.
• In Sisophon, most of the pupils have already left the centre and rejoined their families. Tomorrow, around thirty secondary school pupils and twenty university students will be sent to the Children of the Mekong centre in Battambang, 60 km further south, where they will stay until the situation calms down.
• Following government instructions, the families of sponsored children have already left the dangerous areas, ensuring the children’s safety.

Support families and children affected by the conflict

Despite the circumstances, education remains our priority: where possible, sponsored children will attend classes at the school closest to their home.

For those unable to attend classes, online courses prepared by Children of the Mekong will be offered starting early next week. This approach has already proven successful during the Covid-19 pandemic! Beyond its commitment to education, Children of the Mekong is also working to provide material and food aid to displaced persons.

The situation on the ground is changing rapidly. The Children of the Mekong teams therefore remain vigilant and attentive to instructions from our partners and local authorities.

Ensure children continue receiving education

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