Gov't soldiers 'unintentionally killed' Journalist Allen in 2017 - report
Self portrait, South Sudan, 22 August, 2017

Journalist was “unintentionally killed” on the South Sudan-Uganda border in nearly seven years ago, a government-led investigation has shown.

A dual American-British citizen and freelance journalist, media reports show that he was repeatedly shot while covering a clash in Kaya on August 26, 2017.

The then 26-year-old reporter had been embedded with opposition forces for three weeks when he met his death.

However, his demise caused international uproar after the government spokesperson described him as a “white rebel” and rejected appeals to investigate the killing.

Immediately after Allen’s killing, degrading photos were shared online depicting his naked body.

Due to pressure from the US government and human rights groups, Juba had to set up a seven-member fact-finding committee last year, six years after he was killed.

“Christopher Allen was unintentionally killed as a result of crossfire during the attack of Kaya town on 26h August 2017,” partly reads a report released on Thursday.

“The body of Christopher Allen and other rebel forces were discovered during the Battle Damage Assessments carried out by government forces.

“There is no evidence that establishes the identity of the person or persons that discharged the firearms causing the death of Christopher Allen.

“No evidence that Christopher Allen was known to be a journalist by the person or persons that discharged the firearms that caused his death during the combat.”

Allen’s family, US government, and various rights groups which advocated for the probe are yet to comment on the report.

At least six journalists have been killed in South Sudan in connection to their work since the country gained independence in 2011.

The country is also the world’s third-worst offender on CPJ’s 2022 Impunity Index, an annual report that spotlights countries with the worst records of securing justice for murdered journalists.