LONDON: Britain is treating the spike in migrants trying to cross the Channel in small boats as “a major incident,” its interior ministry said on Friday.
The move follows the interception of two more vessels carrying 12 migrants off the southeast English coast — the latest in a sharp increase in such cases over the Christmas week.
In the latest incidents, eight Iranian men were spotted in a small boat near the busy port of Dover at around 9am local time, and brought ashore for medical assessments and immigration interviews.
About six hours earlier, border officials detained a Syrian and three Iranians encountered on a dinghy in a similar area.
Interior Minister Sajid Javid held a conference call Friday with key officials, and has asked for an urgent call with his French counterpart this weekend, according to the ministry.
He has appointed a commander to oversee the response to the incidents and asked for daily updates, it said.
Javid is also assessing whether to deploy additional border enforcement vessels in the Channel amid fears it could encourage more people to try to make the crossing, the ministry added.
Immigration Minister Caroline Nokes will visit Dover on Saturday to discuss the situation on the ground with border officials.
On Thursday she called the rising number of migrant crossings “deeply concerning,” following the discovery of 23 Iranians in three locations in Kent.
Attempts to cross the English Channel — one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes — have been increasing since October, with authorities on both sides struggling to stop them.
![]()
UK treating rise in migrant Channel crossings as ‘major incident’
UK treating rise in migrant Channel crossings as ‘major incident’
- In the latest incidents, eight Iranian men were spotted in a small boat near the busy port of Dover at around 9am local time
- Home Secretary Sajid Javid held a conference call Friday with key officials
Attacks leave 30 dead in Nigeria’s Benue state
JOS: Two attacks in the space of a few days left 30 people dead in two neighboring towns in Nigeria’s central state of Benue, long prone to inter-communal clashes, sources told AFP.
Armed bandits killed at least 13 traders on Friday afternoon in Anwase, a village in the Kwande area, local government official Ibi Andrew told AFP.
He said the assailants stormed the market “and opened fire on the people randomly.”
“The attack left traders and residents traumatized, with properties destroyed and families searching for missing loved ones.”
On Tuesday, armed men had attacked the market in nearby Mbaikyor, killing 17 people, including a police officer, according to two residents and local media.
The region has seen an upsurge of violence in recent months between Muslim ethnic Fulani herders and mainly Christian farmers over control of land and resources.
Though generally presented as communal clashes, the unrest stems from complex dynamics with land rivalries exacerbated by climate change, a proliferation of small arms and the lack of a sustainable response from the Nigerian state.
Armed bandits killed at least 13 traders on Friday afternoon in Anwase, a village in the Kwande area, local government official Ibi Andrew told AFP.
He said the assailants stormed the market “and opened fire on the people randomly.”
“The attack left traders and residents traumatized, with properties destroyed and families searching for missing loved ones.”
On Tuesday, armed men had attacked the market in nearby Mbaikyor, killing 17 people, including a police officer, according to two residents and local media.
The region has seen an upsurge of violence in recent months between Muslim ethnic Fulani herders and mainly Christian farmers over control of land and resources.
Though generally presented as communal clashes, the unrest stems from complex dynamics with land rivalries exacerbated by climate change, a proliferation of small arms and the lack of a sustainable response from the Nigerian state.
Latest updates
© 2026 SAUDI RESEARCH & PUBLISHING COMPANY, All Rights Reserved And subject to Terms of Use Agreement.