On the eighth anniversary of American journalist Christopher Allen’s death, the U.S. Embassy in Juba has once again called for a credible investigation into his killing and the disrespectful treatment of his remains.
Allen, a dual U.S. and U.K. citizen, was killed on August 26, 2017, while covering the civil war in South Sudan.
He was embedded with rebel forces of the Sudan People’s Liberation Army in Opposition (SPLA-IO) when he was shot dead during a clash in the town of Kaya.
In a statement, the embassy renewed its demand for the transitional government of South Sudan to conduct a full investigation.
The call comes a year after the U.S. Embassy rejected the findings of a government committee formed to investigate the death.
The committee, established in October 2023 under pressure from the U.S., U.K., and various human rights and journalistic organizations, concluded in March 2024 that Allen was “unintentionally killed as a result of crossfire.”
However, David Charles Ali Bilal, the head of the investigation committee, also repeated a previous claim from Information Minister Michael Makuei that Allen had “entered South Sudan illegally” and was not wearing any protective or press identification.
The U.S. Embassy’s statement on Tuesday expressed that the committee’s findings did not fully address all the factors that led to Allen’s death or the handling of his body.