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French minister vows to close Calais migrant camp

Interior minister Bernard Cazeneuve says he will press ahead with dismantling the 'Jungle' in coastal town with the 'greatest determination'.

La rédaction de Mediapart

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Interior minister Bernard Cazeneuve has vowed to dismantle the migrant camp at Calais, ahead of a visit to the 'Jungle.' He told a regional paper how the shutdown would take place, reports Deutsche Welle.

In his interview with the regional French newspaper, Cazeneuve said he would press ahead with the camp's closure "with the greatest determination."

Ahead of a visit to the camp later on Friday, he said the site in the northern coastal town of Calais would be dismantled in stages, while creating accommodation for thousands of refugees elsewhere in France.

"We have already dismantled the southern area in early March, and we have already begun in the north," the minister told the Nord Littoral daily newspaper.

His comments follow repeated promises by French ministers to shut down the makeshift camp, which is home to close to nearly 7,000 migrants, according to the latest French figures.

The population of the camp includes large numbers of Afghans, Somalis, Sudanese and Kurds, among other asylum seekers.

Read more of this report from Deutsche Welle.