Around 40 migrants living in the “Jungle” camp in Calais have been injured, as hundreds of men from different ethnic groups fought with guns, batons and knives.
Local officials confirmed the brawl between roughly 200 Afghans and Sudanese in the notorious camp in the northern French port this Thursday.
Police said one person had been shot, and officials confirmed that several people received knife and baton injuries.
@null – RT: rt_com :Clashes in Calais ‘Jungle’ camp during meals distribution, tear gas deployed … pic.twitter.com/6PVcVroPMn
— Jongi (@FAV0RS) May 27, 2016
“Around 20 migrants, three volunteers and a police officer were injured in a brawl between Afghans and Sudanese. The reason for the fight has not yet been determined,” the regional authority said in a statement.
The fight broke out as food was being distributed at the Jules-Ferry aid centre, the authority said.
Photos show that large sections of the shanty town were burned down, and at least 15 fire trucks had been called to the site.
Around 20 police cars also arrived to break up the fight, and tear gas was deployed, an AFP reporter added. The situation had calmed down by early evening.
Migrants walk among the burnt tents after a massive brawl that left 40 people injured in the “Jungle” migrant camp in the northern French town of Calais on May 27, 2016.
Authorities got permission from French courts to clear part of the crime-ridden camp earlier this year. However, a charity quickly built another one nearby against central government wishes.
Fights have previously broken out in the tense and desperate atmosphere of the camp, which is roughly divided between the main communities — primarily Afghans, Sudanese, Kurdish and Syrian.
A fight between Afghans and Sudanese in March left 19 people injured.
Although the government says the number is vastly inflated, French and British charities say nearly 5,000 people remain in the Jungle despite efforts to clear the camp and demolish shelters earlier this year.
Thousands of migrants and refugees have camped out there, hoping to smuggle themselves aboard lorries that are crossing the Channel to Britain.
(AFP contributed to this report)