Immigrant family in joyful reunion

Hawa Ahmed Mohamud broke down in tears, screaming hysterically when she heard last Friday that a boat carrying illegal immigrants had capsized 40 miles east of Malta.

The Somali woman was convinced the husband she had not seen for two years was on board. And she was right.

But little did she know that Abdel Mohamud was one of the 16 men who were rescued and brought into a detention centre a few miles away from her residence in Balzan. Eleven of the other migrants aboard the boat had drowned.

The couple and their two children were reunited in Lyster Barracks, Hal-Far on Saturday, and this time she was crying tears of joy.

"I was so happy I forgot to eat for an entire day," Hawa told The Times yesterday.

At the Emigrants Commission in Valletta, the 27-year-old would not stop embracing Mgr Philip Calleja, who was instrumental in helping reunite her with her husband who had never seen his son.

With a civil war raging on its doorstep in a small village near Mogadishu, three years ago the Mohamuds packed their bags and fled towards the north, reaching Libya after a gruelling year-long trip.

Like thousands of other Africans, Europe was their destination but the family could only save enough cash for the mother and one-year-old child to make the trip on board a rickety boat. Abdel agreed to stay on in Libya until he made enough money, even though his wife was pregnant at the time.

Hawa arrived in Malta two years ago, after a tough sea voyage and the couple remained in touch via telephone once in a while through a third party.

"He was telling me recently he wanted to make the crossing by boat but after the horrible experience I had, I told him not to do it. It was too dangerous," Hawa recalls, adjusting her veil.

Still, her husband ignored his wife's appeals and decided to take the ill-fated trip to Europe.

When she heard of the incident at sea, Hawa rushed to hospital but her husband was not there. Losing hope, Mgr Calleja started making arrangements to take Hawa to the mortuary to try and possibly identify her husband - three corpses had been taken aboard the army vessel and brought ashore.

But last Saturday, someone called her to tell her that her husband had been rescued and was being detained at the Hal-Far detention centre. The Balzan home for the immigrants exploded into cheers.

After the Armed Forces granted the woman permission to enter the detention centre, Abdel embraced his wife and children, including the son he has never seen. Fourteen-month-old Monasar could only look on oblivious to the unfolding drama.

"It was one of the most emotional scenes I've ever seen," said Mgr Calleja, who has spent most of his life dealing with refugees.

Speaking through an interpreter yesterday, the Somali woman said her family will only map out its future once her husband is released, though she is happy to continue living in Malta, despite the xenophobic attitude of many.

"In Somalia I don't know where the rest of my family is, and I don't want to go back because it's dangerous. At least in Malta there are no wars.

"Of course I appeal to the government to release my husband as soon as possible and I worry about his health. However, the most important thing is that he's alive and he's close to us, even if he's in a centre," she smiles.