Monthly Archives: November 2018

20, November 2018

Army general admits ‘Ambazonian fighters not losing the war in Southern Cameroons’ ⁰

A senior Cameroon military officer has revealed that the Ambazonian Restoration Forces are not losing in the Southern Cameroons war and that the Unity Palace needs a new occupant to bring peace to the divided nation. Speaking on Monday to our undercover reporter in Yaoundé, the military baron who hails from the Far North region and whose name we are withholding noted that relatively speaking nothing changed ever since troops were deployed to crush the Anglophone uprising.

Citing former French President Jacques Chirac, the top military officer said “No one ever wins a war and I can sincerely tell you that there is no military solution to the crisis in Anglophone Cameroon.”

“The Head of State should engage the leadership of the Anglophones in the Diaspora and convince them that it was time to come to the negotiation table,” he added. Without going into some military details, the French Cameroun soldier further pointed out that Biya is currently making the path to reconcile the nation rockier. “I believe and fervently too that the key to solving the crisis in Anglophone Cameroon is to bring in the United States government to incentivize the Ambazonian Interim government to negotiate.” He said.

The Francophone army commander said the Abuja action against the Anglophone leadership was a costly mistake and a diplomatic blunder that has made reconciliation between Francophones and Anglophones too far-fetched. He claimed that a majority of Francophone political elites sees no military solution to the Anglophone crisis.

Cameroon Intelligence Report gathered that Defense Minister Joseph Beti Assomo has placed a ban on media houses shedding fresh light on Cameroon military’s failure to contain the Ambazonian Liberation Forces and stabilize the territory. There are fears that with presidential elections just three months away in the Federal Republic of Nigeria, separatist fighters may gain strength as the Biya regime in Yaounde struggles to monitor not only Southern Cameroonians but also the Bamilekes who are reportedly behind Prof Maurice Kamto.

We understand that the Southern Cameroons Interim Government decreed a county-by-county policing of the Ambazonian territory and this has cemented the position of fighters under the Ambazonia Security Council (ASC) who are now taking control over larger chunks of the rural areas while the Biya government had seen its control shrink. The Rapid Intervention Battalion (BIR) has failed to secure Southern Cameroons and have also suffered a high number of casualties in their battle against the Ambazonia Restoration Forces.

By Asu Vera Eyere and Sama Ernest

20, November 2018

Boko Haram attacks 3 military bases in Nigeria ⁰

Boko Haram militants have attacked three military bases in northeast Nigeria, putting the spotlight on insecurity in Nigeria just three months before presidential polls.

On Sunday, militants attacked a base in Metele, a remote village in northeast Borno state, near the Niger border.

Troops were “dislodged” from the base before it was reclaimed with aerial support, a military officer in the northeast told AFP.

“There are still no details of human or material losses,” said the officer, who asked not to be identified because he was not authorized to speak on the incident.

The same day, militants also launched a pre-dawn attack on another base in the town of Gajiram, some 80 kilometers north of the Borno state capital, Maiduguri.

“Soldiers fought off the insurgents after hours of fighting which lasted up to 5:30 am (0430 GMT),” said Kulo Gana, who lives 60 kilometers away in the garrison town of Monguno.

On Saturday, Boko Haram attacked a base in the town of Mainok, killing a soldier and seizing a truck from civilian militia fighting the militants.

“They faced stiff resistance from soldiers who fought them for an hour before the terrorists withdrew,” said a militia member in the town.

“We lost a soldier in that Mainok attack,” the military officer said.

Militants claim responsibility

Both Metele and Gajiram have been attacked in the past six months, underlining the persistent threat that Boko Haram poses to the ravaged region.

Boko Haram claimed Monday to have killed 42 troops in the Metele and Mainok attacks, according to the SITE Intelligence Group which monitors militant activities.

The militant group said it killed “more than 40 Nigerian soldiers” in Metele and two more in Mainok, in addition to carting away “four tanks” and other vehicles and ammunition.

The file photo shows army soldiers on the back of a vehicle in Damboa, Borno State, in northeast Nigeria. (Photo by AFP)

Army spokesman Brigadier General Texas Chukwu told AFP he had “no information” about any attacks. Neither claim could be independently verified.

Attacks on bases have increased in recent months and claims that the military has played down casualties.

The military said it repelled an attack on a base in Kekeno village, near Monguno, on Friday, in the second attempted takeover in two months.

Boko Haram also claimed another attack on a base in Kareto, 150 kilometers north of Maiduguri, last Wednesday.

More than 27,000 people are thought to have been killed in the nine-year militancy that has triggered a humanitarian crisis and left 1.8 million people without homes.

President Muhammadu Buhari, a former army general who was elected in 2015 on a promise to defeat Boko Haram, is seeking re-election at polls in February.

His government maintains that the militancy is close to defeat.

(Source: AFP)

19, November 2018

Buea: Anglophone General Conference Cancelled ⁰

The conveners of the Anglophone General Conference that was scheduled to hold in Buea on the 21^st and 22^nd of November have called off the planned Southern Cameroons forum amid reports of a Biya regime plot to assassinate Cardinal Tumi.

A spokesperson for the group said in a press release that the government in Yaoundé had not formally approved the application for the holding of the conference and added that international mediation could solve the crisis in Southern Cameroons.

The pro Yaoundé Anglophone General Conference has been moved to a future date. East of the Moungo, French Cameroonians say they have been cheated by their political leaders in a presidential poll reportedly won by Prof Maurice Kamto.

The Ambazonian Interim Government now says that 4000 people have died in French Cameroun military violence in the territory. Some 162,000 Southern Cameroonians have fled their homes in clashes between the Francophone dominated army and Southern Cameroons Restoration Forces and thousands are still in the bushes due to the fighting.

In Yaounde, some French Cameroun political elites have called for the 85 year old President Biya to step down, saying the October 7 election was not credible and the announcement of Biya as a winner “unacceptable”.

By Chi Prudence Asong

19, November 2018

Khashoggi Affair: Germany bans 18 Saudis from entering Schengen zone ⁰

Germany has imposed travel bans on 18 Saudi nationals suspected of having links to the murder of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the kingdom’s diplomatic mission in Turkey’s Istanbul early last month.

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas made the announcement on Monday, saying the 18 Saudi citizens had been banned from entering the country’s territory as well as Europe’s Schengen passport-free zone over Khashoggi’s killing.

“As before, there are more questions than answers in this case, with the crime itself and who is behind it,” Maas said on the sidelines of a European Union meeting in Brussels, adding that he had discussed the decision with his British and French counterparts prior to the announcement.

Berlin has “decided that Germany should impose an entry ban on 18 Saudi citizens, who are presumed to be in connection with this deed, in the Schengen information system,” Maas told reporters.

Mass’ office later announced that it could not release the names of those sanctioned Saudi nationals due to Germany’s privacy laws, but said the members of the 15-strong squad accused of carrying out the killing and a further three suspected of organizing the brutal act had been given entry bans.

The Schengen Area comprises 22 EU countries and four non-EU countries. Britain is not part of the passport-free Schengen zone but shares intelligence through Shengen Information System (SIS) for law enforcement purposes.

Germany has already imposed a ban on selling weapons to Riyadh until the circumstances of Khashoggi’s killing are fully cleared up.

The United States also imposed economic sanctions on 17 Saudi nationals last week, including suspected members of the alleged hit squad and senior advisers to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman – who is alleged to have been involved in the killing of the 59-year-old critic.

US media reported on Saturday that the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) believed with “high confidence” that the Saudi crown prince directly ordered the killing.

bin Salman ordered Khashoggi murder

Saudi Arabia is facing global criticism over Khashoggi’s killing inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2.

Khashoggi, a prominent commentator on Saudi affairs who wrote for the Washington Post’s Global Opinions section, had lived in self-imposed exile in the US since September 2017, when he left Saudi Arabia over fears of the Riyadh regime’s crackdown on critical voices.

The 59-year-old was seeking to secure documentation for his forthcoming marriage when he entered the Saudi consulate, but never came out despite Riyadh’s initial claim that he exited the mission less than an hour after completing his paperwork.

The Saudi kingdom, after denying the murder for several days, finally admitted that Khashoggi had been killed in the consulate during an interrogation by rogue operatives that had gone wrong after diplomatic pressure grew tremendously on Riyadh to give an account on the mysterious fate of its national.

I’m choking: Khashoggi’s last words revealed

However, Saudi Arabia said that it did not know the whereabouts of Khashoggi’s body, which is widely believed to have been dismembered.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said the assassination was ordered at the “highest levels” of the Saudi government, but stopped short of pointing the finger of blame at the crown prince.

Turkey wants the 15-man team that it says killed the journalist to be tried there.

Source: Presstv

19, November 2018

AACIII: Biya regime secret plot to assassinate Cardinal Tumi in Buea uncovered ⁰

A Biya regime plot to assassinate Cardinal Christian Tumi has been revealed by a Southern Cameroons Interim Government’s police mission this week. According to a well placed source with strong ties to the Secretary for Homeland Security Hon. John Egyawan, the IG’s intelligence chief in the Fako County, said that some members of the French Cameroun secret service recently deployed to Buea have been operating in a hotel to act in Southern Cameroons in an assassination mission aimed at the top Roman Catholic prelate.

The Ambazonian Communications Secretary, Chris Anu is yet to publicly comment on the French Cameroun diabolic harsh ploy against the Retired Bishop of the Archdiocese of Douala who is expected to be part of the AAC III forum in Buea. However, a prominent member of the Ambazonian Defense Council who confirmed the news to Cameroon Intelligence Report added that Yaoundé intends to blame the killing of the Cardinal on Southern Cameroons Restoration Forces in the Fako County.

The French Cameroun secret service personnel were seen taking pictures of the hall and residence that will host the Cardinal. The Interim Government has accused the French Cameroun government of being accountable for several attacks in Southern Cameroons, which has claimed the lives of more than 4000 Southern Cameroonians.

Elsewhere, the Cameroon Concord News Group strongly called on Ambazonians to be extremely vigilant and cautions of the activities of vultures of the revolutionary war which have inflicted so much harm and are hampering the efficacious prosecution of the war. Ambazonians must be made to understand that the enemy is French Cameroun and not the IG or the Ambazonia Ground Zero self-defense forces.

Your IG needs contributions for the defense of the President His Excellency Sisiku Ayuk Tabe, members of the Interim Government as well as forty-nine other Ambazonians who were abducted from Nigeria and taken to French Cameroon. The IG needs resources for Ambazonia refugees in Nigeria and for other strategic diplomatic, strategic defense operations. The vultures of the revolution have never done anything for Ambazonia refugees, abductees, or possess delicate diplomatic skills. They do not have the ability and maturity to counter the enemy in multiple fronts through the resourceful coordination of the Ambazonia highly skilled and professional Ambazonians and members of the international community away from the self-seeking social frenzy antics of the vultures of the revolution.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

19, November 2018

French President Macron urges Europe to do more for own defense, security ⁰

In Berlin, President Emmanuel Macron of France renews the call for Europe to do more for its own defense and security, saying the continent cannot “become of plaything of great powers,” days after he irked the US by urging the formation of an independent European army.

In an address on Sunday to the German parliament (Bundestang) in the capital, Berlin, Macron asked Chancellor Angela Merkel to support a range of reforms to strengthen the European Union (EU), saying it was up to France and Germany to help build a more sovereign and efficient Europe fit for the future.

The continent, he said, must not “become a plaything of great powers, must assume greater responsibility for its security and its defense, and must not accept a subordinate role in world politics.”

“Europe and, within it, the Franco-German couple have the obligation not to let the world slip into chaos and to guide it on the road to peace,” Macron told the lawmakers. “That’s why Europe must be stronger… and win more sovereignty.”

Macron – who became the first French president to address Bundestag in 18 years – highlighted the challenges facing Europe ranging from climate change to migration, speaking of a “Franco-German responsibility” in setting the stage for the “re-founding of Europe.”

French President Emmanuel Macron (L) and German Chancellor Angela Merkel give a press statement prior to talks on November 18, 2018 at the Chancellery in Berlin. (Photo by AFP)

He also urged pro-EU forces in the continent to take concrete policy steps in a bid to fend off anti-immigrant, nationalist parties on the rise in several member states.

Macron – who was in Berlin to take part in Germany’s national Remembrance Day for the victims of war and dictatorship – also held talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel on a range of issues, including migration, fixing the euro, Europe’s defense and taxing digital companies.

The two leaders also joined a press conference, during which Merkel agreed with Macron’s assessment that Europe stands “at a crossroads.”

“As those who were born after the [world] war, we are responsible for what we have truly learned,” she said. “As [Macron] said, we are finding our way on many new tasks, and we also want to do this together.”

Merkel also spoke of “how important the German-Franco friendship and co-operation is, and what role it plays in the European context.”

In an idea warmly supported by Merkel, Macron said last week that Europe needed a real army to reduce reliance on the United States for defense, drawing a fusillade of angry tweets by US President Donald Trump.

Trump described Macron’s idea as “very insulting,” saying, “Perhaps Europe should first pay its fair share of NATO, which the US subsidizes greatly.”

Trump has long been complaining that his country carries too much of NATO’s defense funding, calling on other members to double the amount of their gross domestic product (GDP) that they contribute to the military alliance.

German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen insisted Sunday that a joint military force would need not just common equipment and training but also “the political will to resolutely defend European interests when a conflict breaks out.”

France’s Minister for European Affairs Nathalie Loiseau has also told the Journal du Dimanche that “it is not a question of being against the United States but of taking our destiny into our own hands to no longer count on others.”

The prospect of a European army independent of the United States had already been raised by EU President Donald Tusk in May, after Trump engaged in a series of trade disputes with Europe, withdrew from the multilateral Iran nuclear deal and the Paris climate accord.

Trump also sparked worries globally last month when he announced he would be pulling the US out of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF) – which had been signed towards the end of Cold War in 1987 — between the US and the then Soviet Union.

The controversial decision raised fears in Europe of a new arms race, which could put the security of the entire continent in danger.

Meanwhile, Germany and France have apparently struck a deal on a common budget for the EU countries that use the shared euro currency, something Macron pushed for.

German Finance Minister Olaf Scholz told the dpa news agency the proposal was to be presented to European finance ministers Monday.

Source: Presstv

19, November 2018

University professor, employee kidnapped in S.Cameroons ⁰

A professor and staff member of the University of Buea in troubled western Cameroon have been kidnapped, a statement received by AFP on Sunday said.

Charles Doumta, on the Health Sciences faculty, and George Ongey, who works for the research and cooperation office, were seized on Friday and November 10, respectively, the statement said without elaborating.

“These acts are meant to intimidate, create fear and panic among staff and students and disrupt the smooth functioning of the academic year,” Vice Chancellor Ngomo Horace Manga was quoted as saying in the statement, issued on Saturday.

The 12 000-student university is a historic centre of English-based learning in Cameroon, whose minority anglophone population is concentrated in the two western regions of Northwest and Southwest.

A crisis erupted in 2016 over perceived discrimination at the hands of the francophone majority in areas such as education, the justice system and the economy of the West African country.

Last year it developed into an armed conflict, with radicals declaring an independent state, the Republic of Ambazonia, which is not recognised internationally.

They have attacked troops and police and torched other symbols of the central government in the former German colony, which was divided between Britain and France after World War I.

Almost daily clashes now occur between security forces and separatists, who have organised themselves into scattered groups in the region’s dense tropical forests.

Early this month, armed men believed to be separatists abducted 90 students in Northwest Region, later freeing them in circumstances that remain unclear.

Armed gangs are also operating in the troubled regions, taking advantage of the conflict to demand protection money from businesses and individuals.

More than 200 troops and more than 500 civilians have died in regional fighting, according to non-governmental organisations.

The conflict has also already displaced more than 437 000 people, UN data released in October showed.

Source: AFP

19, November 2018

7 killed in oil tanker accident in Douala ⁰

At least seven people were killed in Cameroon’s commercial city of Douala early Saturday after the brake of an oil tanker failed along the main road of a neighborhood called “Village,” police sources told Xinhua.

“Many of those who died were commercial motorcyclists who parked along the road waiting for passengers. They were all hit by the tanker,” the source said, adding that a woman and baby were among the victims of the accident.

A witness, 45-year-old Jean Ekoka, said several people who were discussing along the road were injured and some were rushed to the hospital.

“The tanker came from nowhere on full speed rolling over motorcycles and people. Luckily the tanker that was carrying oil did not explode,” Ekoka said.

Source: Xinhua

18, November 2018

The Will of God for Southern Cameroons at this point is a referendum ⁰

Dear Cardinal TUMI,
I am writing this letter to you, hoping that the people of Southern Cameroons will be patient and for once give you and your team a benefit of doubt as you attempt to listen to the different views and opinions as you find Solution to the Southern Cameroon problem during the upcoming Meeting you have convened.

As a moral Authority in Cameroon for so many years, I do not doubt your sense of truth and Justice. I say so because I believe that, on the one hand, God wants to manifest himself to the government of Cameroun as a God of Truth and Justice. On the other hand, he is revealing himself to the People of Southern Cameroon as a God of Mercy. Truth, Justice, and Mercy are all part of the attributes of God, and he chooses how to dispense them to individuals and nations without compromising His integrity.

The people of Southern Cameroon voted in a Plebiscite to join La Republic du Cameroon in a Federal system of Government in 1961. Whether this was a right step or a mistake is not the issue here. It is a historical fact. There were terms binding the two States together in that Federation. Over the years, because of the selfishness and wickedness of one party, it was considered that the other, because she was small in size could be manipulated, marginalized and systematically assimilated into the larger part. That is why, from a Federal Republic in 1961, we mysteriously find ourselves in La Republic, the name of the bigger Party at the time of the Union.

Sir, a lot has happened in Cameroon within the last two years that are facts that are in the public for anyone to read and see for themselves. My concern is to remind you that where we are now, the government of Cameroon has lost its credibility in the sight of the people of Southern Cameroon. The inability of the government to initially dialogue with the Consortium, the torture, the arbitrary arrests, the targeted killings and the War declared on the Southern Cameroonians are a testimony to the hatred of the regime against a part of the Country she wants to make the World believe she governs. Unfortunately, this has only helped to open the eyes of the people to a point where they are all willing to die than to cowardly submit to such slavery. To add insult to injury, the regime while still pursuing its master plan of wiping out protesting Southern Cameroonians, went ahead to organize elections in this parts of the Country where they have practically chased into the bushes or out of the Country the majority of the masses. Using the plight of Southern Cameroonians to their advantage, a miserable 5% (from their own statistics) for most part made up of Soldiers and government officials gave the government Party a crushing majority in S.W. and N.W. Regions. What a shame. What moral and Political injustice. Let me also recall that the government, using the plight of the suffering displaced Southern Cameroonians, made fund raising with a target of 12 billions which was supposed to go to those who lost properties and the displaced. Now that campaigns are over and the military is well equipped to continue the burning of Villages and killing of innocent civilians, I can assure you the project has been realized.

In the face of all of these, what message do we have again as Servants of God to the people of Southern Cameroon? What message does a Pastor have for a Slave under the yoke and burden imposed on him by the Slave driver, if not to stand with him and seek his liberation. Or should we ask him to remain under the yoke of slavery and die so that God will receive his Soul. Any true man of God with a conscience in Cameroon at this moment should know that our real assignment at this moment, is to stand with the oppressed in their quest for Justice. This should be done not only by Prayer, but by proclamation as well. We should speak the truth.Nobody should be fooled, the way to true Peace in Southern Cameroon is by going back to the roots. There is injustice, craftiness, pride, and deceit buried in the root of the Union. A system and a pattern of evil by the government geared towards Suppressing and Marginalizing the Anglophones for fear that they should not grow and become a bigger threat in the future. This has manifested in different ways, at different times, in different places all over Cameroon, until lately the time of full occupation was rife. Otherwise, what can even remotely explain the fact that even English Common Law Courts were already taken over by French Civil Law Judges, and English Schools were taken over by French teachers who do not understand English. Why is it that our Bilingualism only understands the French Language and only considers the Francophones?

Some people will want us believe that we were one nation in German Cameroon before the French and English came and divided us. This is a week argument and a hypocritical attempt to escape from reality by the party that always seeks to marginalize. In German Cameroon we were more than 250 ethnic groups brought together by the colonial power, in most of the cases against our will, to serve her own interest. We were only one in the sense that we are all created by God, whether Black or White, Jew or Gentile. God requires all men to repent and be united with Christ so that we can be one family here on Earth. Nevertheless, from the scattering of the Human race at the Tower of Babel, God permitted diversity. Every Nation (people) have a right to self-determination. The government is there to facilitate and protect this right. The government exist because of the people and not vice versa. That is why the quest for independence made sense. Now, when independence was granted for those who were colonized, lines were drawn, not by God but by the Colonial Powers. God created the Earth and He still keeps the title deed (Psalm 24:1). However, it is not God that drew the lines over Nations to demarcate them and set boundaries between one nation and the other as it presently stands. This was done by man. God just stood as a witness. The name Cameroon was given by man, and when it was given so many parts of the present Cameroon were not included. Also, when the Germans were in charge, the map was different from what it is today. So, the Union between Southern Cameroon and La Republic is a Historical fact, but not a Gospel Truth. The map of any nation on earth is not static but dynamic, depending on what God decides to do with that nation. That is why there are so many nations and Kingdoms that no longer exist today on Earth. God can decide to use His Sovereign Power as the Owner of the Earth to separate two people who do now agree to walk together (Amos 3:3).

In view of the facts above, and taking into consideration the devastation brought upon the people of Southern Cameroon by the Government of La Republic du Cameroon, recognizing also that the will of God in this matter is for Truth and Justice to be established(reconciliation can only come after), it is my humble opinion that the next step for the Southern Cameroonians is a Referendum. This Referendum will determine whether or not Southern Cameroonians still want to continue with the Union with La Republic. Another reason why a Referendum is the solution is because the government claims that those who are advocating for Secession are a negligible minority. The Referendum then will check the veracity of that claim. Therefore, if we are to revisit the root of the problem of Cameroon as recommended by many, we must realize and recognize that the root of our problem is a Union which has not worked. It has resulted into a situation where one party, having all the Political, Judicial, Economic and Military might, with all its numerical Strength is about to wipe out the other from the face of the Earth in which only God has the title deed. If there will be any All Anglophone Conference at all (and I think we should give it a chance), the wisdom of God demands that the people of Southern Cameroon be given a chance in a REFERENDUM to determine their future. Anything short of that will be tantamount to trying to treat a serious wound lightly.

By hook or by crook, there is a people who exist here on Earth and who see and identify themselves as English Speaking Cameroonians from the Southwestern and Northwestern Region of Cameroon (They have recently identified themselves as Ambazonians; which is also their right), the former British Colony of Southern Cameroon. These people, whose language, education, training, and values have been impacted by the British, are in a way different from those of the other part of the Country called Cameroon, who were impacted by the French. This is the difference between the Anglophone and the Francophone in Cameroon, but this is not what is bad or bringing problem. I will like our Francophone brothers to take note of this. What is bringing problem is the fact that over the years, since the two parties came together, there has been a systematic plan orchestrated by the Government and Sponsored by the French Colonial Masters, to marginalize and consequently assimilate the Anglophones thereby eliminating all that he represents in the Country. The proof is vivid in all sector of life in the Country. This is the Gospel Truth about Cameroon, and the almighty God will not allow this injustice. I love my French brothers and Sisters on the other side. I do not preach hatred and division. But I have a duty to speak the truth. I also thank God for their passion in standing to defend the truth in condemning what they see as fraud in the present Elections of October 7, 2018. This means they too have the same instinct against injustice. I only hope that they will understand and see reasons with Southern Cameroonians when they stand up to say enough is enough.

To conclude this epistle, dear Cardinal, I will like to remind you and your Team who have offered to serve as facilitators and Moderators of this event that History and above all God, stands as your Judge. The government of Cameroon, who has only accepted this Conference reluctantly because of pressure and lack of no better alternative, will try to influence it by infiltrating with its agents to have the last say. That will be counterproductive and will lead to even more bloodshed than we are experiencing now. The People of Southern Cameroon are between Federation and Separation, and only a Referendum held in Southern Cameroon for Southern Cameroonians can be a Just bargain.

May God help the people of Southern Cameroon.

Rev. T. H. Mbu-Arrey

18, November 2018

Khashoggi Affair: US to make final conclusions in days, Trump says ⁰

The United States will make final conclusions by early next week over the killing of Jamal Khashoggi, President Donald Trump said Saturday, following reports that the CIA had held Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman responsible.

Saudi Arabia has repeatedly changed its official narrative of the October 2 murder, first denying any knowledge of Khashoggi’s whereabouts and later saying he was killed when an argument degenerated into a fistfight.

Earlier this week, a Saudi prosecutor exonerated the crown prince of involvement in the brutal murder.

Speaking to reporters in Malibu, California after surveying damage from wildfires, Trump said “we’ll be having a very full report over the next two days, probably Monday or Tuesday.”

State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert earlier said reports indicating the United States had already made final conclusions in the case were “inaccurate.” “There remain numerous unanswered questions with respect to the murder of Mr Khashoggi,” she added.

The State Department will continue to seek facts and work with other countries to hold those involved in the killing accountable, Nauert said, “while maintaining the important strategic relationship between the United States and Saudi Arabia.”

“In the meantime, we will continue to consult Congress, and work with other nations to hold accountable those involved in the killing of Jamal Khashoggi.” She noted that Washington had already taken “decisive measures” against individuals, including visa and sanctions actions.

The remarks appeared to contradict reports that the Central Intelligence Agency had determined Saudi Arabia’s powerful Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ordered the killing of Khashoggi, a vocal critic.

‘Truly spectacular ally’

The killing and the international uproar it triggered has frayed ties between Washington and longtime ally Riyadh, which has sought to end discussion of the murder and rejected calls for an international investigation.

But ahead of a briefing by his secretary of state and CIA director, Trump demured when asked about possible retaliation against Riyadh.

“They have been a truly spectacular ally in terms of jobs and economic development,” Trump told reporters.

“And I also take that — you know, I’m president — I have to take a lot of things into consideration.”

The Washington Post, which broke the story, said the CIA found that 15 Saudi agents flew on government aircraft to Istanbul and assassinated Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate.

Khashoggi, a Post columnist, had gone to the consulate to obtain documents necessary to marry his Turkish fiancee.

European Union foreign affairs chief Federica Mogherini meanwhile reiterated calls for a “thorough, credible and transparent” probe into Khashoggi’s killing.

“The need remains to shed full clarity on the circumstances surrounding this horrendous crime as well as to ensure accountability for all those responsible for it,” she said in a statement.

Reiterating the EU’s categorical opposition to the death penalty, Mogherini said “we will continue to stress that the kingdom of Saudi Arabia must put in place measures to ensure that something like this can never happen again.”

“In due course, the EU and its member states will consider how they can act together towards appropriate measures against those responsible, in support of the rules based international system,” she added.

In the latest version of the events presented by the Saudi prosecutor on Thursday, a 15-member squad was formed to bring Khashoggi back from Istanbul “by means of persuasion” — but instead ended up killing the journalist and dismembering his body in a “rogue” operation.

(AFP)