The violence is once again rising a notch in the Loon-Plage migrant camp, near Grande-Synthe (North). A shooting broke out this Wednesday noon, injuring one, an Iraqi man in his twenties who was shot in the head. He was transferred to the Lille CHR.
Nine migrants injured in gunshot wounds last week
The day before, at 11 p.m. and at the same place, a first shootout left two injured. The vital prognosis is still engaged this Wednesday evening at the Lille CHR for a 30-year-old Sudanese. A 32-year-old Eritrean was more slightly injured and transported to CH Dunkirk.
Two investigations have been opened by the Dunkirk prosecutor’s office. This camp, where more than a thousand migrants are settled, has been the scene of war scenes since May. On Tuesday August 30, nine migrants were injured in a shooting, some of them in serious condition. The previous week, stab wounds had been exchanged. In May, a migrant was killed by Kalashnikov fire.
Account settlements between smugglers
Nearly 500 migrants were evacuated last week. No evacuations took place on Wednesday. This new shooting took place in the middle of the day, which is rare according to Salam, the association which distributes meals in particular. Volunteers have been observing more and more Africans over the past year in this previously Kurdish-dominated camp.
“A year ago, there were some Sudanese who were simply tolerated: they had the right to eat at the end, if there was not enough to eat, they did not eat, remembers Claire Millot, general secretary of the Salam association. In Calais, we were used to these fights between different communities because the smugglers made them fight over the management of car parks. They don’t want the smugglers arrested because they paid them. When smugglers are arrested, migrants lose thousands of euros!”
No consequences in the municipality according to the mayor
Some associations chose to withdraw a few days after the last shooting in broad daylight last May, but Salam wants to continue its distributions. “These are people who fled the war, they did not come to fight. If we abandon them when they are victims of violence here, it is horrible.”
For his part, the mayor of Loon-Plage explains that he is not kept informed by the authorities of these shootings. Eric Rommel recalls that the camp is located in the port area, and that there is therefore no consequence on the urban center and on the life of the inhabitants of the municipality. He declined to comment further.