In Calais, migrants who can afford to pay a smuggler to England pile onto an inflatable boat. The others, the poorest, languish in the famous “jungles” of Calais. To attempt the crossing, some are ready to take all the risks. Extract from a document to see in “Special Envoy”.
It is a long-term investigation, from which a document published in “Envoyéspecial” on November 2, 2023 is taken. Julien Goudichaud spent seven years on the beaches of Nord-Pas-de-Calais. Seven years of establishing links with migrants, filming departures towards the English coasts on overloaded rubber boats.
But these perilous crossings are reserved for those who have the means to hire a smuggler. The others, the poorest, languish in makeshift camps: the famous “jungles” of Calais which the police dismantle almost every day. To still attempt the crossing, some are ready to take all the risks. Like Daba, a young 28-year-old Sudanese.
When Julien Goudichaud saw it for the first time, it was at the Decathlon store in Calais, in the kayak section. With another man, he is buying one of these light boats, ideal for family outings. They will pay 350 euros, their last savings. Is it for tstart crossing the Channel? In a kayak, it’s madness… but, they later explained to the journalist, they have friends who have already succeeded in this type of crossing.
“An oar pierced the boat and we sank”
On the beach that night, alongside Daba are his little brother, his uncle, and an Iraqi he met in the “jungle”. Hurriedly, they inflate the kayak, ready to board even though two of them don’t even know how to swim. Julien Goudichaud tries to dissuade them, in vain. So, with another journalist accompanying him, they decide to equip them with life jackets. And thehere you go… In the water, right next to them, other candidates for England are getting on the same type of kayak.
A few hours later, Julien Goudichaud found Daba and his three crossing companions. They didn’t go very far: after three hours of navigation, they capsized in the open sea. “An oar pierced the boat and we sank, says Daba. We started swimming, and we took turns pulling those who didn’t know how to swim. Thank God we reached the shore.”
How many migrants who attempted the same crossing have died without their disappearance being reported? Several kayaks were found washed up on the beaches. Since then, Decathlon has decided to withdraw them from sale in Calais…
Extract from “The beaches of embarkation”, a document distributedyears “Special Envoy” on November 2, 2023.
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