By William Madouk
Embassy of United States of America in South Sudan has once again called on the transitional government to conduct a credible investigation into the death of American-British journalist Christopher Allen, which occurred seven years ago.
Allen was shot and killed on August 26, 2017, during military clashes between then SPLA-IO forces and government troops in Kaya town, Central Equatoria State.
“On the seventh anniversary of the death of Christopher Allen on August 26, 2017, we renew our call on the transitional government to conduct a credible investigation into Mr. Allen’s death and to demonstrate the political will to take accountability seriously,” the embassy’s statement read.
The statement criticizes the investigation findings announced in March 2024, stating that the committee “did not address in a comprehensive manner all the factors that led to Mr. Allen’s death or the disrespectful treatment of his remains.”
In March, the government-appointed investigation committee concluded that Allen was “unintentionally killed as a result of crossfire during the attack on Kaya town.”
The committee said there was no evidence establishing the identity of the person or persons who fired the shots that caused Allen’s death.
The investigation also revealed that Allen had been embedded with SPLA-IO forces three weeks before the Kaya attack, and was wearing a red bandana used by the then-rebel forces, though he was not wearing any press identification.
The report stated that Allen had chosen to put his life at risk by walking on the frontlines with the forces, a “dangerous place where firearms and other weaponry are discharged.”
The two other foreign photojournalists accompanying Allen, Goran Tomasevic and Siefried Modola from Reuters, were also identified in the videos, according to the report.