• Twenty-seven migrants died on Wednesday in the sinking of their boat in an attempt to reach Great Britain.

  • Since the start of 2021, the number of Channel crossings has exploded. 

  • The networks of smugglers have become more professional.

Unfortunately, the drama did not surprise professionals. At least 27 migrants, including seven women and three teenagers, drowned off Dunkirk as they attempted to cross the Channel to reach Britain on board a makeshift boat on Wednesday. “For several weeks we feared what happened yesterday, says Lieutenant-Commander Véronique Magnin, spokesperson for the maritime prefecture of the Channel and the North Sea. Recently, we are facing an unprecedented number of departures. On November 3, we rescued over 1,000 people during the day, which had never happened before. That day, however, the bodies of two migrants had been recovered lifeless and a third had been reported missing.

On Wednesday, the alert came too late. It is a fisherman who spotted around 2 p.m., on the borders of French territorial waters, a dozen bodies floating in a sea at 11 degrees. Both on the French and British sides, significant resources, in particular two helicopters and three boats were immediately dispatched but on the spot only two survivors were discovered: a Somali and an Iraqi, in severe hypothermia but whose vital prognosis, according to the parquet, more engaged. A drama which did not however prevent other candidates from trying their luck in the night. "At first glance, the conditions could seem favorable, the sea was rather calm but there was an icy north-easterly wind which made this crossing almost untenable", explains Véronique Magnin. She assures us that "that morning,some ended up turning back. On makeshift rafts, the crossing lasts on average between 12 and 15 hours.

An increase in departures by sea since 2018

The Specialized Interregional Jurisdiction (Jirs) of Lille opened an investigation in particular for “homicide and involuntary injuries” and “criminal association”.

"The wreck has been seized and will be examined to clarify the causes of the sinking," said the prosecutor.

According to our information, the semi-rigid boat was partially deflated when it was seized, which could suggest a puncture.

Five arrests have also taken place since Wednesday, but according to the Lille prosecutor's office, these "have no objectified link with the procedure", contrary to what the Minister of the Interior indicated.

"This drama illustrates the growing influence of smugglers because, obviously, group departures of this magnitude can only be the work of an organized sector," laments Didier Leschi, Director General of the French Office for immigration and integration (Ofii). The case illustrates a growing phenomenon: extremely marginal until 2018, the Channel crossings exploded. Between January 1 and November 20, 2021, 31,500 migrants tried to reach England by sea, against 15,000 in 2020. The reinforced security around the port of Calais associated with a drop in road traffic to Great Britain since the Covid-19 crisis and Brexit have pushed industries to find new ways. "There is such a mirage surrounding life in Britain that these migrants are prepared for all risks",continues the senior official.

Increasingly organized networks

At the beginning of September, Gérald Darmanin, in a letter sent to his British counterpart, Priti Patel, explained the increase in the number of migrants crossing the Channel by a new “smugglers' strategy” who use “larger” boats, which can accommodate up to to 65 people, “instead of the makeshift boats which carried around fifteen between 2019 and 2020.” He also mentions “diversionary” tactics, aimed at sending small “bait boats” which occupy the emergency services while Larger boats make the crossing.

These crossings are not, however, safer. Between January 1, 2021 and November 20, 7,800 migrants were rescued. The majority of boats are said to be semi-rigid - "like huge plastic buoys", specifies the spokesperson for the maritime prefecture - not very stable, even less when they are overloaded. To cope with this influx and prevent the Channel from turning into a "cemetery", in the words of Emmanuel Macron, the prefecture is only focusing on "difficult cases". “If we see a boat that seems to be doing well, we are not going to ask them to turn around simply because if we try to approach, the risk of capsizing them is very great. "

Despite multiple dissent, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Emmanuel Macron have shown their willingness "to step up joint efforts to prevent these deadly crossings."

Without specifying how.

London notably offered to France joint police patrols on the French coast along the English Channel.

A service offer already rejected by Paris before the tragedy, for reasons of sovereignty ...

World

London offers joint patrols on the French coast in Paris after the death of 27 migrants in the Channel

Society

Shipwreck of migrants: Gérald Darmanin announces the arrest of a fifth suspect smuggler

  • Gendarmerie

  • Police

  • Lille

  • Migrants

  • Society

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