French authorities began moving the last 1,500 minors
housed at the country's "Jungle" migrant camp Wednesday, as British
officials prepared to assess them for settlement in the
UK.
The children had been living in shelters made from converted
shipping containers at the camp in the port town of Calais as the
tents and shacks around them that once housed thousands of other
migrants were demolished over the past week.
The last remaining shelters were pulled down Monday, leaving
only the containers standing.
France last week evacuated at least 6,000 migrants from the camp
and bussed them to other regions to begin the process of
resettlement.
Authorities from the Nord Pas de Calais region told CNN that 650
minors had left by late morning Wednesday and that those remaining
were scheduled to leave throughout the day. They will be spread out
among 60 processing centers, where officials from the UK Home
Office will assess their situation and decide whether they should
be settled in Britain.
How do you escape the 'Jungle'?
The UK has agreed to take in a number of unaccompanied minors
from the camp, as well as others with family ties in the
country.
The Jungle sits some 30 miles across the English Channel from
Britain, one of the more desirable destinations for refugees in the
region.
As French authorities bussed migrants out of Calais last week to
other regions in France, many refused to go, still determined to
reach Britain.
On Tuesday evening, a brawl broke out at the Jungle between
around 100 Eritrean and Afghan children near a church at the camp,
the Calais prefecture told CNN.
The migrants were sent back to their shelter after police
intervened. Four people were treated in hospital for minor
injuries.
However on Wednesday, Alexandra Simmons, a volunteer aid worker
in Calais, said the evacuation was going smoothly and that the
children were calm.
Eritrean boys were singing church songs as they waited, she
said.
Calais 'Jungle': What you need to know
French authorities vowed to shut down the Jungle migrant camp
for months but were shot down several times by court decisions. The
camp became a gritty symbol for Europe's migrant crisis, fueled by
unrest in the Middle East and political instability in parts of
Africa.