Journalist Christopher Allen in South Sudan. (Photo: Christopher Allen).

The Deputy Minister of Information says British-American journalist Christopher Allen was killed in a crossfire inside a rebel-controlled area and added that the government should not be blamed for the incident.

Dr. Jacob Maiju Korok was responding to queries from journalists after the regular Council of Minister Meeting on Friday.

Allen, 26, was shot dead on the front line while covering clashes between SSPDF and SPLA-IO forces in Kaya town of Morobo County, Central Equatoria State.

On Wednesday, the Minister of Information questioned whether the government should be held answerable for the death of journalist Christopher Allen, arguing that he entered South Sudan illegally.

Makuei made the remarks on the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists on Wednesday. It was also two months from the anniversary of Allen’s demise.

The senior official stood by his earlier statement saying the government troops killed a “white rebel.”

Responding to the statement, the US said the remarks would be irresponsible and reprehensible at any time and called on the South Sudan government to clarify whether the comments of Information Minister Makuei, represent the position of the government.

However, when asked to comment on the statement by the US Embassy, Deputy Information Minister Maiju said the foreign journalist was killed in a cross fire.

“The essence of the incident was a bit tricky. And, the white journalist was killed in a cross fire. It’s not meant by South Sudan to go and killed the journalist outside the rebel areas,” he said.

“That statement then was not really kind of that the government can take responsibility of killing that journalist, it not like that. I cannot really put more imputes on that, but Michael can shade more light on that.”

The deputy information minister concluded that Allen was not deliberately killed although the government has not launched an official inquiry five years from his death.

The official could not confirm the government’s willingness to hold perpetrators to account.

He said the government finds it difficult to investigate the incident because “it is tricky and the journalist was not killed inside a government-controlled area.”

“If the journalist was killed inside the government-controlled areas, then yes, the government at least can investigate, but the journalist was killed in the rebel-controlled areas. How can they put blame on the government?”