The parents of slain American freelance journalist Christopher Allen say they are devastated by the death of their son.
Allen was killed in South Sudan over the weekend in fighting between government forces and rebels as clashes continue to rock the world’s youngest nation. He was among 19 people killed in the fight.
AP reports the 26-year-old’s parents to say their son “passionately sought the truth from every perspective.”
South Sudan’s government however says there was no indication showing that the American was a journalist, and that he entered the country illegally.
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) says it is “deeply troubled” by South Sudan’s comments and wants those responsible for Allen’s death to be “held to account.”
South Sudan has been at war since December 2013 following President Salva Kiir’s accusations that his then-deputy Riek Machar was plotting a coup against his government. Machar denied the allegations but then went on to mobilize a rebel force to fight the government.
Thousands have been killed in the war, and millions forced to flee their homes.
The United Nations earlier this year announced that South Sudan is Africa’s biggest refugee crisis, coming third in the world after Syrian and Afghanistan.
The agency continues to call for dialogue to end the war, though a peace deal signed in 2015 has continually been violated by the warring factions.
Allen’s body was handed over to the U.S. embassy on Monday.
