Some 2,500 people — many of them Kurds and Iraqis, but also Iranian, Kuwaiti, and Vietnamese migrants and refugees — currently live in squalid conditions inside the camp. "There's always something that needs doing," he added.
Built on a patch of wetland, the camp is nestled between a residential area and the A16 motorway that connects Dunkirk to the port city of Calais. It is seen as a strategic location by the people smugglers who operate around the port of Dunkirk and on a nearby service area. Established in 2006, the camp housed a maximum of 80 people until last fall.
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Two Belgian trucks carrying wood are let through. Wood is a vital commodity for the camp residents, who use it to cook and to stay warm. The trucks are emptied almost as soon as they arrive, and the wood is carted off in bags and strollers.
Arms filled with logs, a young man chats in English with British volunteers. K.M., 25, is one of 30 or so Iranians living in the camp.
