Samantha Power: America's UN ambassador's 60mph motorcade kills boy in Cameroon
The incident occurred near the small city of Mokolo, in northern Cameroon
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.The motorcade of America’s UN ambassador was involved in a tragedy when it struck and killed a young child while the envoy was visiting Cameroon.
Reports said that an armoured jeep in Samantha Power’s motorcade hit and killed a young boy who had darted into the road.
The incident occurred near the small city of Mokolo, in northern Cameroon, where Ms Power, her aides and accompanying journalists were headed to meet refugees and others displaced by the years of brutal attacks across West Africa, the Associated Press reported.
Ms Power said she learned of the death with “great sorrow”.
She said she met with the boy’s family to “offer our profound condolences and our grief and heartbreak”.
Ms Power returned to the scene of the bloody accident several hours later to meet the seven-year-old boy’s mother and father, while residents of his village stood by.
The news agency said the motorcade was traveling at speeds of more than 60mph, while villagers lined up along the sides of the road. But when the boy darted on to the two-lane highway, there was no time for the sixth car in Ms Power’s convoy to react. The driver was Cameroonian.
At the moment of impact, a man could be seen running up the embankment, with his arms held high, to the street to try to stop the child. A Cameroonian helicopter traveling overhead as part of a large security contingent saw the collision.
The vehicle that hit the boy initially stopped but was ordered by American security forces to continue traveling through the unsecured area. An ambulance in the US caravan immediately attended to him.
The boy was rushed to a local hospital, though his condition was already hopeless, according to people familiar with the incident.
The motorcade moved at a significantly slower pace for the rest of the day.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments