Young African Migrants Sleep on Paris Streets as Snowfall Brings Freezing Temperatures

Several dozen snow-covered tents have appeared on streets in the historic centre of Paris, as hundreds of young African migrants endure freezing winter nights without permanent shelter.

Around 300 unaccompanied migrants, many from Guinea, Ivory Coast and Mali, are currently sleeping outdoors as they seek official recognition as minors. For many, it is their first experience of homelessness, and of winter cold, since arriving in France. «There’s no choice but to keep going,» said 16-year-old Boubacar Camara from Guinea, sheltering in a tent near Pont Marie.

During the day, some find temporary refuge at facilities such as the Diderot Humanitarian Shelter, run by the Salvation Army. Shelter coordinator Helena Tellio said the young migrants often experience mixed emotions, describing both amazement at seeing snow for the first time and fear at the prospect of returning to the streets at night.

As snowfall blankets districts including Montmartre, charities and aid groups have warned that prolonged exposure to cold poses serious risks. Paris authorities continue to call for emergency accommodation for all those sleeping rough, as temperatures remain dangerously low and the humanitarian situation worsens.

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