Nearly 500 people live “in appalling conditions without water or toilets“in the makeshift camp of Loon-Plage, and this Sunday at the beginning of the afternoon, gunshots injured two near tents. The incidents erupted as volunteers were distributing hot meals. According to several associations, a migrant was affected by “2 bullets in the arm” and the other to “the abdomen“.
Automatic weapons?
“It was shooting well, Kalashnikov style“says Claudette, a volunteer from the Adra association, who was present at Loon-Plage, “large caliber weapons, automatic” for the association Salam. “Everyone took refuge in the back of our vehicle, there were at least 4 rounds of shooting” said Claudette who is worried: “shots often occur at night, this is the first time there has been shooting in the middle of the day“
“A lot of tension”
The 2 injured migrants were transported to the Dunkirk hospital center. According to the Adra association “there’s been a lot of tension lately“, Claudette admits that she does not “can no longer go to 2 places in the Loon-Plage camp“where she is no longer there”welcome“.
At the origin of the tensions:bands of smugglers who would like to keep their territory, to do business. You must not disturb them“. Claire Millot of the Salam association thinks that “associations are not covered“.
Thursday, gunshots had already been heard in this camp which until now had housed a majority of Kurds. Salam notes that exiles from Bangladesh, Egypt or even Kuwait have arrived recently. An investigation was opened and a half-companion from CRS arrived this Sunday at Loon-Plage.