France Dismantles Calais Refugees Camp
French authorities moved to dismantle the “Jungle” camp in the port city of Calais as its residents were evacuated and fires broke out in the squalid encampment.
France had vowed to permanently shut down the camp – home to an estimated 6,000 to 8,000 people hoping to make it to the U.K. – this year.
On October 24, it started moving camp residents to reception centers around the country where they can claim asylum; so far nearly 4,000 people have been evacuated, officials said.
Workers moved in the next day to tear down the tents and shelters. Fires broke out that night throughout the camp, which French police said were ignited by departing residents. A Syrian man was hospitalized after a gas canister exploded, damaging his eardrums. Firefighters extinguished the blaze by morning, allowing demolition work to resume.
Save the Children expressed concern about the estimated 1,000 children at the camp. “It’s very scary, I think, for kids particularly. You see [the authorities] coming in with bulldozers,” the group’s president, Carolyn Miles, told Agence France-Presse.
Around 200 children with family in the U.K. were allowed into Britain this week, while France said 772 unaccompanied minors were moved to specially designated shelters in Calais.
Civilians Flee Mosul Area Amid ISIS Retaliation
As Iraqi forces advance toward the city of Mosul, held by the so-called Islamic State (ISIS), civilians are being displaced while others face deadly retaliation from the militant group.
More than 3,300 people fled the area around Mosul on October 25, the most in a single day so far, according to officials. Iraqi forces said they had evacuated some 1,000 people near the front lines. The International Organization for Migration says around 9,000 people have been displaced since the operation began last week.
Meanwhile, U.N. and Iraqi officials said ISIS militants were forcing Iraqis from villages around Mosul and using them as human shields. The group appears to have staged several mass executions in the past week, the U.N. said.
Kurdish officials have also forced hundreds of Arab families out of Kirkuk in recent days after an ISIS attack there, the New York Times reported.
Rescuers Say Libyan Attack Caused Deadly Migrant Shipwreck
A Libyan coast guard boat attacked a dinghy carrying some 150 migrants and refugees last week, leading to at least 30 deaths, says a German humanitarian group.
Sea-Watch said its rescue ship was headed toward the dinghy when a speedboat labeled “coast guard” rammed the vessel, causing one of its rubber tubes to deflate. A speedboat passenger began kicking and hitting migrants in the dinghy, prompting some to jump overboard, according to Sea-Watch.
The boat then separated the Sea-Watch vessel from the sinking ship, stopping humanitarian workers from distributing life vests, the group said.
Libya’s naval forces said they had boarded the boat, but denied attacking. They claimed the incident took place within Libyan waters, while Sea-Watch said it took place just outside.
Recommended Reads:
- IRIN News: Algeria: The New Migrant Staging Post for Europe
- VICE: The Refugees Who Refuse Asylum
- Agence France-Presse: National Geographic ‘Afghan Girl’ Arrested in Pakistan
- The New York Times: Shouts Greet Migrants in the Streets of France: ‘We Don’t Want Them’
- The Conversation: Tolerance and Humanitarianism Will Not Solve Europe’s ‘Migration Crisis’