The United States Department of State on Tuesday renewed its call for the South Sudan Transitional Government to conduct a credible investigation into Journalist Christopher Allen’s death.

The 26-year-old freelance journalist, a dual American-British national, was shot in the head during a battle between the South Sudanese army and SPLA-IO rebels in the town of Kaya in Central Equatoria State on 26 August 2017.

After years of international pressure calling for investigations into his killing, South Sudan's government announced in October last year that it would launch an investigation into the incident.

On 21 March, South Sudan said that its probe held earlier government statements that Allen was “killed as a result of crossfire” while covering the fighting.

However, a press statement by U.S. State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller on Tuesday said the Government of South Sudan’s report does not address the disrespectful handling of the deceased’s body and called for a credible investigation.

“South Sudan’s transitional government recently announced the outcome of a long overdue investigation into the August 26, 2017 death of journalist Christopher Allen, a dual U.S. and UK citizen who was shot and killed while covering the conflict in South Sudan,” the statement read in part. “The subsequently released report does not address in a comprehensive manner all the factors that led to Mr. Allen’s death or the disrespectful treatment of his remains.”

“We renew our call on the transitional government to conduct a credible investigation into Mr. Allen’s death and to demonstrate the political will to take accountability seriously,” Miller added.