Francois Hollande visits Calais, pledges to dismantle migrant camp

French President Francois Hollande visited the port town of Calais on Monday, pledging to dismantle the migrant camp on its outskirts “completely and definitively” by the end of the year.

The camp, known as “the Jungle,” is home to up to 10,000 people fleeing war and poverty in the Middle East and Africa. Many of them plan to hitch a ride across the nearby English Channel by truck or ferry to reach Britain.

"The situation is unacceptable and everyone here knows it. We must dismantle the camp completely and definitively," Hollande said.

He called on the British government to assist.

"I also want to restate my determination that the British authorities play their part in the humanitarian effort that France is undertaking and that they continue to do that in the future," he added.

Hollande met with local officials but was not expected to visit the camp.

France and the U.K. are building a 13-foot-high, half-mile-long concrete wall to stop migrants from the camp reaching the nearby highway or ferry port to try and cross the English Channel.

Authorities closed part of the camp earlier this year and the French government plans to disperse migrants living there to other locations in the country.

An estimated 670 unaccompanied minors live in the camp.

Lily Caprani, deputy executive director of the United Nations Children’s Fund in the United Kingdom (Unicef UK), said the British government should work with French authorities to find them appropriate accommodation with access to legal support.

“For refugee children who left their homes fleeing conflict and persecution, the pending demolition of the camp threatens their hopes of reaching their families in the U.K.,” she said.

“It is now more urgent than ever for our government to get these children to safety.”