The Minister of Information says the government should not be held answerable for the death of American journalist Christopher Allen, saying he entered South Sudan illegally.

“This man has entered South Sudan illegally in the first place, and that is why I declared in a statement that we have killed a white rebel because he was killed on the side of the rebel,” said Michael Makuei’.

Makuei’s statement came two months after the US renewed its appeal to the government of South Sudan to conduct credible investigations and hold to account, the killers of Christopher Allen.

Allen, 26, and a British – American reporter, was shot dead on the front-line, while covering clashes between the then SPLA-IO and government forces on August 26th, 2017.

He was killed on the side of the opposition armed group in the southern town of Kaya, near the border with Uganda, and close to the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Ever since he was killed, his parents, relatives, and friends have been seeking an investigation into his death, but without success.

Following Allen’s death, the Minister of Information reportedly termed the murdered journalist, a white rebel and a criminal who entered the country illegally.

“Now, can we be answerable or accountable for the death of such a journalist who knew that he entered South Sudan illegally and decided to be with the rebels who are fighting the government of South Sudan,” he said.

“We have been asked to investigate, whom do we investigate now?  Or do we investigate the then rebel with whom we have reached an agreement and we are now in the same government,”

“Should we start investigating them now because I am seeing this issue coming up every now and then?”

Since then, the government has not yet published an official investigation into the death of Allen.

During the commemoration of the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists Wednesday, Michael says the government is not answerable for the journalist’s murder.

The US embassy in Juba is yet to comment on the Information Minister’s statements.