At the northern edge of France, in and around the port city of Calais lie several encampments, known as “jungles”, that provide a temporary shelter for the more than 3000 migrants hoping to cross the English Channel. The migrants are Eritrean, Sudanese and Syrian among others. In Calais they are only an hour-and-a-half ferry ride away from their final destination: the United Kingdom. Reinforced border controls make the crossing increasingly difficult and many migrants are stuck in the camps. They live in squalor, in makeshift tents, cabins and muddy camps, often without access to running water or electricity.
At the northern edge of France, in and around the port city of Calais, lie several makeshift tent and tarpaulin known as "jungles". These jungles provide a temporary shelter for the thousands of migrants arriving here. After the demolition in 2002 of the Red Cross centre in Sangatte near Calais, migrant camps were spread out over the region, on the coast and the main road axes for trucks heading to Great Britain. More than three thousand migrants gather in the region in the hope of crossing the English Channel. They are Afghan, Sudanese, Eritrean, Ethiopian, Pakistani, Syrian among others. All looking for a normal and safe life which they believe will be easier in Britain. Here, they are only an hour-and-a-half ferry ride, away from their final destination: Great Britain.
For the migrants, it’s the last stage of a long and often very perilous journey. Some have been wandering around Europe for years, others have arrived more recently from their war-torn or poverty stricken countries. Most migrants are in their twenties, but there are also many teenagers travelling alone. Mohammed Ali (15) left Eritrea over a year ago, fleeing the harsh dictatorship and the oppression, indefinite military service and slavery that are part of it. “I survived captivity in the Libyan desert and a shipwreck in the Mediterranean†he said “I am not going to give up now, this is the last border to cross.
Although every day a steady trickle of migrants makes it across, many are stuck in the camps for months. They live in squalor, in makeshift tents, cabins and muddy camps, often without access to running water or electricity. Living conditions in the camps are extremely harsh but migrants strive to create something resembling a normal, although transient, life.
Despite the wretched living conditions, failed attempts and fatalities, people keep arriving and making a desperate bid for a new life; waiting and hoping to find a way to cross the Channel. Some succeed but many more are stranded in this corner of France, stuck in limbo.