South Sudanese asylum-seeker Achuil Abdalla knew that becoming a doctor was his calling after his mother died in a hospital that did not have the resources to prevent her death.

After accepting the loss of his mother in 2005, while still a child, he resolved to make medical education his top priority.

“I am going to try to become a doctor... I will try to do my best. When I get married and have children, no one from my family is going to die,” Achuil told Times of Malta.

Today, aged 21 and dressed in nurse’s attire, Achuil stands proud as he carries out placements at St James Hospital for his MCAST nursing degree, in pursuit of his dream to eventually become a doctor.

Achuil arrived in Malta at the age of 16 on January 9, 2019, on board the NGO-operated rescue vessel Sea Watch 3.

He had been rescued off the coast of Libya nearly three weeks earlier, on December 22, 2018, along with 31 other migrants. 

Following the rescue, the Sea Watch 3 and another rescue vessel operated by NGO Sea Eye were stuck in a standoff as neither the Italian nor Maltese authorities gave them permission to enter their ports. Malta eventually ended the diplomatic deadlock by allowing both boats to disembark the migrants in Valletta.

Achuil has been living in Malta as an asylum seeker ever since and describes the experience as “stressful”.

“I lost opportunities. Like to go to do my placements in Italy or Spain.”

While he reiterated that he was living his “dream”, he said it was not right to still be an asylum-seeker after six years.

Achuil on board the Sea Watch 3 just before he arrived in Malta. Photo: Sea Watch

‘I saw myself as a stranger’

When he arrived in Malta he received ample help from the Salesians of Don Bosco, who gave him a place to stay and helped him find a job.

“I’ve been lucky to get support from the Maltese to accommodate me and give me a place where to stay so I could continue my studies normally.

“In the beginning it was challenging. This was my first time in Europe and in Malta. So, it was a bit challenging to integrate into society. I saw myself as a stranger.”

Achuil when he was younger and still living in South Sudan.

But he did not let this get in the way of his education and his aspiration of becoming a doctor.

He started by getting his O-levels in Arabic, English and maths, while also doing the foundation course at MCAST. When he embarked on the full-time nursing course, he also started a course in Maltese, which he picked up fairly quickly given his fluency in Arabic.

Isolation was a problem: “It wasn’t easy for me, as a migrant, just to go and make friends, you know.”

But again, he was not discouraged and practised his Maltese with Maltese students and English with foreign students.

Achuil with former Maltese president George Vella.

Loss of a close friend

Growing up in a conflict-ridden environment and being forced to flee from the South Sudanese Civil War in 2013, Achuil has defied the odds.While living in the capital of South Sudan, Juba, he and his family found themselves both witnesses to, and victims of, the devastating bombings targeting civilians in the city.

Left with no other choice, they were forced to flee to Sudan’s capital city, Khartoum. Here, Achuil experienced a lot of discrimination and was not allowed to get himself an education as he was seen as a lesser citizen.

At the age of 12, the oppression became too much for him and after hearing rumours of opportunities to study in Egypt, he and his friend, Backre e Mossa, decided to cross the Sahara Desert into Egypt.

“There are no trees, there is nothing. It’s just sand. No food, no water... the water finished early,” Achuil said as he recounted his journey across the desert.

Life in Egypt was no better, however.

Struggling to survive on the little funds they had, he and his friend decided to try to reach Europe via Libya. The only thing standing in their way was a field of landmines.

Achuil on board Sea Watch 3. Photo: Sea Watch

Alongside Backre, he joined a group of another 120 people attempting to cross into Libya, but they were stopped short by gunfire and dogs. After being sent back to Egypt, undeterred and with no other options, Achuil and Backre attempted to cross again, this time with an even larger group.

Achuil was lucky enough to make it across with his life… his friend and most of the group were not so lucky. Backre strayed too far from the path and tragically triggered a landmine. Only about 30 or 40 people made it across.

Full of grief and being only 14, Achuil had to march on without his companion who had shared his struggles for so many years.

“In Libya, every single city was dangerous. You cannot just walk on the street,” he recalled.

For two years, he lived in constant fear, lying about his Christianity to avoid execution. 

“I was still Christian in my heart,” he said.

Traversing over 1,000 kilometres along Libya’s coast, from Tobruk to Tripoli and then Sabratha, he made his first attempt to reach Europe. He tried to cross the Mediterranean three times. His overpacked rubber dinghy was seized by the Libyan coastguard twice.

But his third attempt paid off. His rubber dinghy was picked up by Sea Watch 3 and so began the last leg of his tortuous journey to a new life.