At least five people have been shot after a fight involving more than 100 Eritreans and Afghans erupted in Calais. The French interior minister blamed traffickers for "fueling daily violence and brawls."
Image: Reuters/P. Rossignol
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A massive, two-hour brawl involving more than 100 Eritrean and Afghan nationals in Calais on Thursday left five migrants in critical condition after being shot. Twenty-two people were injured. They had been standing in line waiting for food handouts.
Interior Minister Gerard Collomb, who visited the camp on Friday, spoke of an "unbearable" escalation of violence. He blamed human traffickers for "fueling daily violence and brawls."
He reiterated the government's stance of not allowing migrants settle in the area. "The message I want to get across is that if you want to go to Britain, it's not here you should come," he insisted.
Five people were shot during the fight, all of them Eritrean migrants between the ages of 16 and 18.
It was not initially clear who fired the shots, no arrests have been made.
The government has sent police reinforcements to the area
The fight was between Afghan and Eritrean migrants. Authorities said police intervened to "protect the Afghan migrants faced with 150 to 200 Eritrean migrants."
Humanitarian groups working in the area believe roughly 800 migrants remained in the area after the "Jungle" was demolished.
The migrants have camped in Calais in hopes of making their way to the UK by stowing rides on lorries passing through the port city.
Thousands of migrants were relocated after the "Jungle" was demolished in 2016Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/T. Camus
Second fight at industrial site
The Calais prosecutor's office said at least 22 more people were injured after suffering "blows from iron bars" during a second fight that broke out at a nearby industrial site. Another person was injured in a road accident.
Last month, French President Emmanuel Macron said, during a speech in which he announced a new border security deal with the UK, "in no case will we allow another 'Jungle' here."
From escalating violence in the Middle East and Africa to incoherent asylum policy at home - DW looks at how the EU has found itself in the midst of a refugee crisis.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
Fleeing war and poverty
In late 2014, with the war in Syria approaching its fourth year and Islamic State making gains in the north of the country, the exodus of Syrians intensified. At the same time, others were fleeing violence and poverty in countries such as Iraq, Afghanistan, Eritrea, Somalia, Niger and Kosovo.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
Seeking refuge over the border
Vast numbers of Syrian refugees had been gathering in border-town camps in neighboring Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan since 2011. By 2015, with the camps full to bursting and residents often unable to find work or educate their children, more and more people decided to seek asylum further afield.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
A long journey on foot
In 2015 an estimated 1.5 million people made their way on foot from Greece towards western Europe via the "Balkan route". The Schengen Agreement, which allows passport-free travel within much of the EU, was called into question as refugees headed towards the wealthier European nations.
Image: Getty Images/M. Cardy
Desperate sea crossings
Tens of thousands of refugees were also attempting the perilous journey across the Mediterranean on overcrowded boats. In April 2015, 800 people of various nationalities drowned when a boat traveling from Libya capsized off the Italian coast. This was to be just one of many similar tragedies - by the end of the year, nearly 4,000 refugees were reported to have died attempting the crossing.
Image: Reuters/D. Zammit Lupi
Pressure on the borders
Countries along the EU's external border struggled to cope with the sheer number of arrivals. Fences were erected in Hungary, Slovenia, Macedonia and Austria. Asylum laws were tightened and several Schengen area countries introduced temporary border controls.
Image: picture-alliance/epa/B. Mohai
Closing the open door
Critics of German Chancellor Angela Merkel's "open-door" refugee policy claimed it had made the situation worse by encouraging more people to embark on the dangerous journey to Europe. By September 2016, Germany had also introduced temporary checks on its border with Austria.
Image: Reuters/F. Bensch
Striking a deal with Turkey
In early 2016, the EU and Turkey signed an agreement under which refugees arriving in Greece could be sent back to Turkey. The deal has been criticized by human rights groups and came under new strain following a vote by the European Parliament in November to freeze talks on Turkey's potential accession to the EU.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/A. Altan
No end in sight
With anti-immigration sentiment in Europe growing, governments are still struggling to reach a consensus on how to handle the continuing refugee crisis. Attempts to introduce quotas for the distribution of refugees among EU member states have largely failed. Conflicts in the Middle East and elsewhere show no signs coming to an end, and the death toll from refugee sea crossings is on the rise.
Why are migrants attempting to reach the UK from France: There are several reasons given by migrants for their attempts to reach British soil, but many of them hope to reunite with their communities in the UK.
What happens next: Under the new security border deal with the UK, London will pay France to increase security at Calais.
