JMEC Deputy Chief of Staff for Strategy, Dr. Thomson Fontaine addresses redeployment of unified forces in South Sudan

MEC Deputy Chief of Staff for Strategy, Dr. Thomson Fontaine (middle) makes a point during a meeting in South Sudan. With him are JMEC Chief of Staff Ambassador Berhanu Kebede and former Deputy Chief of Staff (Strategy), Ambassador Mahen Kundasamy (File photo)

In a significant move towards peace and stability, South Sudan has begun the redeployment of its unified forces, a critical step that was originally scheduled for 2020, and among those at the helm of this development is Dominica’s Dr. Thomson Fontaine.

Dr. Fontaine is the Deputy Chief of Staff for Strategy in the Reconstituted Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (RJMEC), the institution overseeing the peace agreement. He delivered an address on behalf of the RJMEC at a ceremony marking this momentous occasion.

Dr. Fontaine expressed his pride and happiness at the commencement of the redeployment. He acknowledged the three-year delay but emphasized the importance of the step, pointing out that it was, “better late than never”. He reminded the troops of their crucial role in building a stable, prosperous, and strong South Sudan.

“It is important that you are part of a unified force,” he told the troops. “You are not indivisible units belonging to any one party, but your allegiance should be to South Sudan.”

The deployment of the troops in South Sudan is being seen as a significant stride in the five-year journey since the signing of the peace agreement. The next major step is towards elections, where these forces will play a critical role in providing necessary security.

Dr. Fontaine stressed the importance of maintaining peace, especially considering the regional context. He thanked the troops and wished them well as they embark on their mission to serve the people of South Sudan who will be looking to them to ensure that peace reigns in the country.

Dr. Fontaine, a former IMF economist and Senator in the Parliament of Dominica, was in 2017, appointed Senior Economic and International Policy Adviser to the government of South Sudan, Africa. He later became the Deputy Chief of Staff for Strategy in the Reconstituted Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (RJMEC), charged with overseeing the peace agreement.

South Sudan, now considered the world’s newest nation, gained independence in July 2011 after a long-anticipated self-determination referendum. However, by 2013, internal political disputes escalated into conflict, revealing fragile institutions and deep-seated divisions among communities. The war took on an ethnic dimension, with President Salva Kiir (a Dinka) and dismissed Vice President Riek Machar (a Nuer) as the conflict’s figureheads.

The peace process, overseen by the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), aimed to end the war and facilitate a political transition. This process started in January 2014 and ended in August 2015 with the signing of the Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan (ARCSS).

Since 2018, the Revitalized Agreement has provided a peace framework, despite ongoing intercommunal violence. In August, the parties agreed on a Roadmap extending the transitional period by 24 months. Key steps towards peace include incorporating the peace agreement into the constitution, reconstituting the transitional national legislature, drafting the constitution-making process bill, reunifying the security command structure, and adopting a public financial reform strategy.

The redeployment of the unified forces in Sudan marks a new chapter in South Sudan’s journey towards peace and stability, reflecting the commitment of its leaders and the hope of its people.

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