Eight-year-old Houmam Al Elfi knew nothing of the politics of war, refugees and migration. He was too young to be sure why his family fled from their home in Homs, Syria, four years ago as the city was pounded to rubble, or what they were doing living in hiding in France. All he knew was he wanted to go to school, reports The Observer.
Today Houmam is attending lessons near Béziers after a decision to expel the Al Elfi family was overturned when the plight of Malek, 41, Khaldieh, 32, and their children Hisham, 15, Fata, 12, and Houmam was highlighted by the Observer.
Local campaigners who supported the family and raised a petition to halt their being thrown out of France were celebrating after the prefecture authorised the family to claim asylum in France.
Khaldieh, who had suffered a miscarriage on the long journey into exile and was terrified of the French police finding them, could not hide her relief. “It’s a wonderful decision for my family and I can only thank all those who supported us,” she said.