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IRISH-BORN UN ambassador Samantha Power’s trip to Cameroon’s front lines in the war against Boko Haram started horrifically today as an armoured jeep in her motorcade struck and killed a young boy who darted into the road.
The incident occurred near the small city of Mokolo, in northern Cameroon, where Power, her aides and accompanying journalists were headed to meet refugees and others displaced by the years of brutal attacks across West Africa.
All those meetings included small children.
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”.
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 solemnly on a sandy expanse.
Two-lane highway
The motorcade was moving at a fast clip, at times exceeding 60 mph, while villagers lined up along the sides of the road. But when the boy darted onto the two-lane highway, there was no time for the sixth car in 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 travelling 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 travelling 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, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Several US officials were visibly affected, with one Power aide turning away to cry as his boss met with refugee children shortly afterward.
The motorcade moved at a significantly slower pace for the rest of the day.
Officials did not immediately identify the boy. US officials wouldn’t comment immediately on any plans for compensation to the boy’s family.
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Very sad that the US convoy had to continue. At least an ambulance stayed. Fair play to her for coming back after to offer condolence to the family
Condolences are empty when a child was killed. High speed calvalcades are unnecessary. They are tributes to ego and self importance.
The French Revolution was partly contributed to and triggered by French aristocrats in carriages travelling at sped and killing peasant children. This infuriated the people.
Scandinavian countries don’t need to indulge themselves in such reckless behaviour.
You sure that triggered the French Revolution; not just thinking of a tale of two cities?
In other news, drone programme cancelled due to cost savings.
@Fiona deFreyne,
I don’t often agree with you, but I’m amazed to see this perfectly reasonable comment of yours getting so many red arrows.
Fiona If you knew Africa you would know that high speed armed motorcades are imprortant, but you don’t so you will continue ponificate politically correct B.S
This might be a clue Fiona:
“The vehicle that hit the boy initially stopped, but was ordered by American security forces to continue travelling through the unsecured area”.
This woman is one of the people responsible for the Arab Spring debacle, I am disgusted when I read the likes of Joe Duffy praising her.
She’s a warmongering b*tch! Why anyone from a supposedly neutral country would praise that one is beyond me.
@PaulJ,
That’s true, we have an awful habit of praising people just because they are Irish no matter how bad they are.
Did she kill the boy?
High speed cavalcades are inherently dangerous to pedestrians. Every human life is important and valuable. No one is important enough to be treated as so important that innocent lives should be placed even at minimal risk.
Kevin Cardiff, formerly of the Department of Finance, writes with great glee and self importance of being whisked through Paris in limousine with motorbike outriders during the discussions in the euro crisis.
I have even seen calvalcades in Dublin proceeding with totally reckless haste.
‘at times exceeding 60 mph,’
Totally irresponsible.
So you know the sided limit on that stretch of road then ?
*speed
I hope they get a substantial compensation for this.
Brian. If the family get compensation for this, people will be lining up in the streets to throw there kids in front of motorcades.
I can see by your profile pic you encourage policies that encourage death and victimhood.
Oh, and by the way, sympathy to the family for the loss of their child….
Where in my profile pic do I encourage policies that encourage death and victimhood??
That tiny bit on the bottom right…… Where do you think you useful idiot?
“people will be lining up in the streets to throw there kids in front of motorcades.”
Right, because black people don’t love their children like us whites do, right Emma?
Of there’s blame then it should be apportioned correctly and yes the family should be compensated. Last time I checked you don’t get compensation if you murder your children
She returned too the scene several hours later.. now that’s irresponsible
The irony…
Ms. Power is the Ambassador for the USA to the UN, she is not a UN Ambassador. I don’t believe the UN has ambassadors.
have your say