Journalist Christopher Allen in South Sudan. (File photo).

The U.S and the UK governments have renewed their calls on South Sudan to probe the killing of a British-American journalist, an incident that Juba describes as crossfire.

Christopher Allen, 26, was shot dead in August 2017 while covering clashes between the SSPDF and SPLA-IO forces in Morobo County of Central Equatoria State.

In a press release on the eve of World Press Freedom Day, the Western governments reiterated their call for answers from the South Sudan government on the death of Allen.

“The U.S. and U.K. Embassies in Juba renew their calls for the transitional Government of South Sudan to conduct a credible investigation into the death of Christopher Allen and to make the results public,” read the statement.

Allen’s family and home countries have been using the World Press Freedom Day, to put pressure on South Sudan to launch an investigation into his demise and hold perpetrators accountable.

The event is commemorated every May 2nd – to celebrate the fundamental principles of press freedom and evaluate press freedom around the world.

It is intended to defend the media from attacks on their independence and to pay tribute to journalists who have lost their lives in the exercise of their profession.

In November 2022, the Deputy Minister of Information said the journalist was killed in a crossfire inside a rebel-controlled area, adding that the government should not be blamed for the incident.

Dr. Jacob Maiju Korok said Allen was not deliberately killed although the government has not launched an official inquiry years after his death.

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

He added; “The government cannot take responsibility for killing that journalist, it is not like that.”

At least 10 journalists have been killed in South Sudan since 2014.