France to evict almost 1,000 migrants from "jungle" near Calais

PARIS, Feb 12 (Reuters) - France plans to close part of a
camp for migrants near Calais on its northern Channel coast
within a week, forcing almost 1,000 people to leave, officials
said on Friday.
Thousands of people fleeing poverty and war have converged
at a camp near Calais called the "jungle" over the past year in
hopes of making it to Britain where lower unemployment, the
English language and fewer identity checks are still seen as big
draws.
French authorities said they would offer 750 migrants, many
from Africa and the Middle East, spaces in a state-run shelter
made of converted shipping containers, opened last month. The
south part of the camp will then be flattened in a week's time.
The containers, designed to accommodate up to 1,500 people,
are equipped with bunk beds, heaters and windows but lack
toilets and showers. Many refugees told Reuters they were
reluctant to move there because access is controlled by
handprint technology.
Others would be encouraged to move to other migrant centres
in France.
"I hope we don't have to make an eviction by force,"
Fabienne Buccio, the regional prefect, told Reuters. "The
conditions are there for us to do that and flatten part of the
camp that gives Calais a bad image."
The decision comes a month after authorities decided to
clear a 100-metre (110-yard) strip next to a road that passes
above the camp, forcing some 500 to 700 people to move their
tents.
An estimated 4,000 migrants now live in the state shelters
and in the "jungle". This number had spiked to 6,000 in
September and many believe the figure will rise again as the
spring approaches.
Incidents involving migrants and the police have surged
since last October when security near the Channel Tunnel was
reinforced to prevent anybody from entering the Eurotunnel
GETP.PA infrastructure.
On Jan. 23, some 200 refugees managed to break into the port
of Calais, enabling some of them to board the front deck of a
British ferry, after a demonstration of support for migrants.