Thousands of Cambodian families fled their homes this week as fighting along the Thai-Cambodian border escalated, leaving evacuation shelters overwhelmed and short of essential supplies. The surge in displacement followed intense exchanges of gunfire between the two countries’ forces, according to aid groups working in the area.
Many of those who escaped described fleeing under live fire, leaving behind homes, livestock, and nearly all personal belongings.
At a temple in Srei town, where roughly 500 people have taken refuge, casino worker Chay Rey recalled running with her husband as bullets struck nearby. “My heart was almost broken because I was so scared of getting killed,” the 54-year-old said. She added that families in the shelter had little food, no drinking water, and limited ways to support their children. “It’s really hard to stay here like this,” she said.
Across six provinces, Cambodia has opened more than 100 evacuation centres holding around 130,000 people, according to World Vision’s national director Janes Imanuel Ginting. He told Reuters that the speed and scale of this displacement was far greater than an earlier flare-up in July, which affected only two provinces.
Ginting said shelters were struggling with shortages of food, clean water, proper sanitation and basic household supplies. “This time, food is less,” he noted, explaining that most rations consisted of instant noodles and rice supplied by authorities, public donors and relief groups.
Officials and aid agencies said domestic resources had been stretched by the recent return of more than 800,000 Cambodian workers from Thailand, compounding pressure on local authorities already responding to border violence.
For some families, the choice between safety and livelihoods remains agonising. Linh Thoem, 53, fled the Trapeang Ampel district with several relatives, but left his children behind to tend the family’s cattle. “If the fighting gets worse, I’ll evacuate my children to save their lives,” he said. “The only last option is to abandon the cattle and come here for their survival.”
His current shelter is providing food, running water and medical support, but he warned that supplies could dwindle quickly. “We have brought some things to eat for a short period of time only,” he said. “If this fighting drags on, we run out of food for my family.”
Border clashes between Thailand and Cambodia have erupted periodically over disputed areas and military patrols, though the latest escalation has prompted one of the largest recent waves of internal displacement. Neither government has issued detailed public statements on the most recent fighting.
Aid groups say the priority now is stabilising food distribution, clean water access and emergency shelter as the situation remains volatile.
Africa Digital News, New York
