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Lille (France) (AFP)

Riot police stepped in to break up clashes among some 100 African migrants armed with sticks and rocks in the northern French city of Calais on Saturday, local police said, following similar brawls the night before.

"One person is lightly wounded but (police) intervention is ongoing," police official Etienne Desplanques told AFP.

Riot police were deployed to separate the fighting between Eritreans and Ethiopians in an industrial zone of Calais, he said, adding that three Eritrean migrants have been arrested.

The port city of Calais has for years been a magnet for migrants and refugees hoping to cross the Channel to Britain.

Several ambulances were on the scene and rocks littered the ground, according to an AFP correspondent.

The deputy mayor of Calais Philippe Mignonet said around 20 people were injured in Saturday's clashes.

Violence also broke out Friday night between Eritreans and Ethiopians while meals were being distributed, lightly wounding nine people, Desplanques said.

Security forces used tear gas to break up Friday's brawls, according to Mignonet.

"In the past 12 hours, in terms of violence, there's been an escalation," Mignonet told AFP.

© 2017 AFP