Late Reporter Christopher Allen in South Sudan. Photograph - Courtesy

The U.S. ambassador has renewed his call for the transitional government of South Sudan to conduct a credible investigation into the death of Christopher Allen in August 2017.

Ambassador Michael J. Adler issued a press statement today on the 8th anniversary of the journalist’s death.

“August 26th, 2025, marks the 8th anniversary of the death of US journalist Christopher Allen in 2017. Mr. Allen was killed in South Sudan while covering the civil war between the SPLM and the SPLM in opposition,” he said.

“We renew our call on the transitional government of South Sudan to conduct a credible investigation into Mr. Allen’s death and the disrespectful treatment of his remains,” he added.

Christopher Allen, a freelance photojournalist, was killed on August 26, 2017, while documenting the civil war in South Sudan.

He was the first foreign journalist to lose his life reporting on the conflict.

At the time of his death, Allen was embedded with SPLA-IO forces.

South Sudanese authorities disputed the rebels’ account of Allen’s death, arguing that there was no indication he was a journalist and denying him the status of civilian in the aftermath.

The US embassy insisted that a report on the killing, published by the South Sudan Investigation Committee in March 2024, which concluded that Allen was killed accidentally amid crossfire, failed to achieve any measure of accountability.

U.S. officials, Allen’s family, and human rights and press freedom organizations publicly denounced the investigation.

Ambassador Michael J. Adler again called on the government of South Sudan to conduct a credible investigation into Allen’s death.