A 15-year-old boy was shot and killed in the middle of a busy street in Marseille on Tuesday afternoon, the latest victim of an escalating drug war that has turned France's second city into a battleground. The teenager, whose name has not been released, was hit by multiple bullets around 4 p.m.
near a public housing estate in the northern district, an area long plagued by turf wars between rival narcotics gangs. Witnesses described scenes of panic as shoppers and schoolchildren fled for cover. The killing follows a surge in drug-related violence across France, with deaths linked to the trade rising by 20% last year according to interior ministry figures.
Local politicians and community leaders are demanding urgent action. This is a war on our streets, and our children are paying the price," said Samia Ghali, a senator for the Bouches-du-Rhône region.
Police have launched a murder inquiry but no arrests have been made. The government has promised to deploy 100 additional officers to Marseille, but residents say they have heard that before. For families in the estate, the shooting is a grim reminder of a conflict that shows no signs of abating, one that is as much about social and economic neglect as it is about the cocaine and cannabis trade.
