South Sudan says Journalist Christopher Allen entered country illegally

JUBA – A government-led committee investigating the 2017 killing of Christopher Allen, a dual American-British freelance journalist, concluded he entered South Sudan illegally.

The finding was released Thursday.

The committee, headed by David Charles Bilal, stated that Allen was killed in crossfire.

“After consultation and we wrote to the Ministry of Interior, Department of Immigration, Nationality and Passport, they told us he entered South Sudan illegally, nothing was showing that Christopher Allen entered South Sudan legally,” Bilal said during a press conference on Thursday.

He added that Allen entered without a visa or accreditation from South Sudan’s Media Authority.

“Because his body was found in Kaya, there was nothing which showed he was accredited to the Media Authority in South Sudan,” Bilal said.

“In our findings, we found out that he entered South Sudan illegally and he took a risk in an area which all of us believe and if some of you have been to Kaya, is a bushy area,” he added.

The committee said evidence indicated Allen was embedded with SPLA-IO forces in Kaya before the attack that resulted in his demise.

“At 5:30 AM, you can’t see anyone moving, you can see someone, but nobody can know whether he is black or white,” he said.

The committee offered an apology for Allen’s death. “We are sorry for the death of Christopher Allen in South Sudan because if he had to come to South Sudan officially, it would have been a different thing altogether.”

Christopher Allen, 26, was killed on August 26, 2017, while covering the country’s civil war. He was shot in the head during a battle between the South Sudanese army and rebels in Kaya.

Allen was embedded with Sudan People’s Liberation Army in Opposition (SPLA-IO) forces. The 2013-2018 civil war claimed almost 400,000 lives.

After his death, the South Sudanese government denied that its soldiers deliberately targeted him.

The US and UK welcomed the investigation into Allen’s death but demanded transparency and accountability.