Samantha Power’s trip to Cameroon in relation to the war against Boko Haram was marred by tragedy when an armoured jeep in her motorcade killed a 7-year-old boy who ran right into the middle of the road in Makolo, Northern Cameroon.
The UN ambassador, in the company of her aides and journalists, was on her way to meet with refugees who have been displaced as a result of the attacks by Boko Haram in West Africa, when the sad event occurred.
On learning of the tragedy, Ms Powers returned to the scene of the accident to meet the 7-year-old boy’s mother and father, while residents of his village stood solemnly on a sandy expanse.
According to The Wall Street Journal, the boy was hit by a Cameroonian driver, driving the sixth car in the motorcade. The report claims that the driver had no time to react when the boy darted onto the two-lane highway, as the motorcade was moving at a fast pace, sometimes exceeding 60 mph, while villagers lined up along the sides of the road.
A Cameroonian helicopter traveling overhead as part of a large security contingent saw the collision. The vehicle that hit the boy was reported to have stopped initially, but was ordered by American security forces to continue traveling through the unsecured area. An ambulance in the U.N. caravan was detailed to attend to him. The child was declared dead before he got to the local hospital.
Plans to compensate the boy’s family were no disclosed.
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