French authorities to build first refugee camp in Paris

Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo on Tuesday announced a plan to build a refugee camp, the first in the French capital, to welcome hundreds of people who fled war and poverty in their native countries.

"We cannot accept the humanitarian situation any longer, nor the unsanitary situation that migrants have to put up with," Hidalgo said.

"The humanitarian and health situation is no longer bearable. It is time to move things up a notch," she added in a statement, Xinhua reported.

The Paris mayor noted the city services were looking for a site in the north of the French capital to build a camp based on modular cabins housing, such as the model of the Grand-Synthe camp in northern France.

Thousands of migrants from Africa and the Middle East have fled war and poverty in their countries of origin for Europe, leading to an unprecedented migrant crisis on the continent.

Some of the migrants live in the northern port city of Calais where the French end of the Channel Tunnel is located, where some attempt to board lorries and trains heading to Britain to seek a better life.

France pledged to take in 30,000 refugees over the next two years.

--IANS

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