France to tackle English Channel migrant crossings

The migrants, including two children, were picked up at around 5am just a few kilometers off the French port of Boulogne. Authorities spotted the boat sailing with its lights off, making an unusual trajectory.

The UK is withdrawing patrol ships from overseas to deal with a surge in crossings of the English Channel. Opposition politicians accuse the government of pumping up the issue for political gain.

Hundreds of people have tried to cross the English Channel from France to the United Kingdom in recent weeks. The crossings have caused a headache for the UK government.

The coastguard said the eight migrant boats were found along Britain's southeast coast. A senior British minister said the situation was "alarming" amid concerns that warming weather could fuel more crossings.

On Thursday, Nigerians based in the United Kingdom, converged in front of the official residence of the Nigerian high commissioner to the UK to demand the release of Omoyele Sowore, Olawale Bakare, and other activists being held by the Department of State Security, DSS.⁣

Britain's special forces have taken control of the Liberia-registered oil tanker after stowaways, discovered aboard, turned violent. Initial reports suggested the ship, which had traveled from Nigeria, had been hijacked.

Despite tougher measures on both sides of the English Channel, asylum-seekers are still trying to make the dangerous crossing from France to the United Kingdom, in an attempt to find a better future.

Since August, a new British ambassador to France has been in post. Menna Rawlings has taken up the job at a time when the two countries have butted heads over various issues, from migration to Northern Ireland to fishing, while still bound together on other international issues – including the COP26 climate summit and as permanent members of the UN Security Council. Speaking to FRANCE 24 in a week when around 1,000 undocumented migrants crossed from France to England in small boats in a single day, she defended British border policy and spoke out about the ongoing disputes over the Northern Ireland Protocol.

The response to the tragic drownings on the English Channel has spiraled into a political spat between France and the UK, delaying proactive solutions to prevent future tragedies.

At least 27 people died as they were attempting to cross from France to England in a rubber dinghy. This tragedy is the result of a collective failure, says Barbara Wesel.

Kigali is hitting back at critics, justifying the controversial deal to relocate asylum seekers in Britain to Rwanda. Human rights groups and the United Nations have slammed the agreement as "unethical."