The phenomenon of "small boats", these inflatable boats used by migrants to cross the English Channel and reach England, has reached a scale never seen before. According to a report by the border police (PAF), the month of April broke all records, with 550 migrants who managed to cross aboard 41 makeshift boats and 506 others who were intercepted on the banks of the Calaisis before going to sea.
Read also: Migrants: gendarmes on the lookout for “small boats”
After a calm winter like a sea of oil, marked by the departure of only seven small canoes carrying less than a hundred exile candidates last January, traffic rebounded in March, when 185 men, women and children sped off while 381 others were apprehended on the beaches. " The combination of several factors can explain this recovery ," explains divisional commissioner Jean-Philippe Nahon, zonal director of PAF. In addition to exceptional weather, the health crisis has reduced cross-Channel traffic via the tunnel
This article is for subscribers only. You still have 80% to discover.
Subscribe: € 1 the first month
cancellable at any time
Enter your emailAlready subscribed? Log in