News

The Calais Jungle

Jérôme Sessini reports on the migrant camps in Calais

Jérôme Sessini

Jérôme Sessini © Jérôme Sessini | Magnum Photos

The Calais jungle is the name given to the the shantytown near the city of Calais, where migrants live while they attempt to enter the United Kingdom by stowing away on ferries, cars, or trains travelling through the Port of Calais or the Eurotunnel. The migrants who live in the “Jungle” of Calais are a mix of refugees, asylum seekers and economic migrants from Darfur, Afghanistan, Syria, Iraq, Eritrea.

 

Jérôme Sessini A 13 year old Egyptian migrant who traveled alone to Europe. Calais, France. December 7, 2015. © Jérôme Sessini | Magnum Photos
Jérôme Sessini A makeshift shop/ coffee in the jungle. Calais, France. January 20, 2016. © Jérôme Sessini | Magnum Photos
Jérôme Sessini The 'Jungle', the shantytown near Calais city, where migrants live while attempting to enter the United Kingdom. September 17, 2015. Calais, France. © Jérôme Sessini | Magnum Photos
Jérôme Sessini The refugee camp near Dunkirk in Grande-Synthe, which accommodates over 2,500 refugees at the moment, mostly consisting of families from Kurdistan. January 20, 2016. Grande-Synthe, France. © Jérôme Sessini | Magnum Photos

About 5,000 migrants are living in the Jungle of Calais. There is now also a second camp nearby in Dunkirk, called Grande-Synthe, which hosts around 2,500 migrants.

Jérôme Sessini A migrant protects himself from the rain with a garbage bag. The migrants who lives in the 'Jungle' of Calais are a mix of refugees, asylum seekers and economic migrants from Darfur, Afghanistan, (...)
Jérôme Sessini Details of migrants' personal belongings and trash caught in the ice. Calais, France. January 20, 2016. © Jérôme Sessini | Magnum Photos
Jérôme Sessini French authorities have started to clean up the Jungle of Calais, the migrants have been asked to keep an 100 meters buffer zone in between the highway and the camp. Calais, France. January 20, 2016. © Jérôme Sessini | Magnum Photos
Jérôme Sessini A pitta bread taped on the window of a makeshift shop in the jungle. Calais, France. January 20, 2016. © Jérôme Sessini | Magnum Photos

Jérôme Sessini went both to the Jungle and Grande-Synthe over the last few months, documenting the places where the migrants live, the failed attempts to join the UK and the constant police presence. Jérôme Sessini also witnessed the dismantling of a large part of the Jungle Camp, which was decided on March 2016.

Jérôme Sessini | The Calais Jungle Clashes between migrants and police. Calais, France. November 25, 2015. © Jérôme Sessini | Magnum Photos
Jérôme Sessini People from the collective 'Angry Calaisiens'. The group of neighbours is protesting against the troubles and the insecurity caused by the presence of the camp that grew up extensively few meters f (...)
Jérôme Sessini Anti-Riot police (CRS) escorting the scientific police leave the crime scene where a Sudanese migrant was stabbed to death by another migrant. Calais, France. December 8, 2015. © Jérôme Sessini | Magnum Photos
Jérôme Sessini | The Calais Jungle Migrants from Afghanistan burn tents. Calais, France. January 19, 2016. © Jérôme Sessini | Magnum Photos

Jérôme Sessini’s story was published in De Standaard, Le Figaro Magazine, TIME Lightbox and other international media.

Stay in touch
Learn about online and offline exhibitions, photography fairs, gallery events, plus fine print news and activities, on a monthly basis.
Get fortnightly tips and advice articles, find out about the latest workshops, free online events and on-demand courses.
Stay up to date every Thursday with Magnum photographers’ activities, new work, stories published on the Magnum website, and the latest offerings from our shop.