The death of Abdulfatah Hamdallah, a migrant form Sudan

A Sudanese young man was found dead on Sangatte beach, near Calais, the former so-called “Jungle” camp in northern France. He attempted to cross the channel to reach the United Kingdom by sea using an inflatable dinghy and shovels for oars together with another young boy. 

The dead body was identified as Abdulfatah Hamdallah, a Sudanese young man in his 20’s. Originally from West Kordofan, Sudan, he emigrated to Libya with his eldest brother and spent two years working as a car washer before trying to begin a new life in Italy and later in France, according to The Guardian. He had tried to cross to the UK after he was refused asylum in France. He had told other refugees that he wanted to try to cross the channel even if he could not swim.

The young man was buried in Calais on August 24 since due to the coronavirus restrictions, the repatriation of the body to Sudan would have taken three months. About 150 Sudanese migrants in Calais attended the ceremony. The “Calais Jungle” camp on the outskirts of Calais, where up to 9,000 people lived, was dismantled in 2016. However, about 1,200 people remain on the streets of the city.