Mr Jamaal has been tipped to one day represent Team GB

VICTORY has been declared in the campaign to save a talented runner who fled Ethiopia’s civil war from being deported.

The Tribune revealed last year how members of the Heathside running club were rallying around Seyfu Jamaal who arrived in the UK as a victim of human trafficking. Friends were shocked when the British government rejected his asylum claim, with officials deciding it was safe for him to return to Ethiopia.

The 21-year-old was helped by The Running Charity, an organisation working with refugees, to settle in north London and find peace in the sport. His talent in races has led to predictions he might even compete for Team GB.

Ethiopia is classed as being in a state of emergency and the UK Foreign Office issues severe warnings to anybody visiting the country.

The Running Charity helped co-ordinate Mr Jamaal’s appeal against the decision with legal action, help from politicians, and an online petition that garnered over 8,500 signatures.

After months of waiting, Mr Jamaal was told on Tuesday that the Home Office had officially withdrawn their refusal to allow him to stay.

The charity is still waiting to hear what convinced the Home Office to change its mind.

“Seyfu’s delighted, he’s doing well and he’s very happy,” said Alex Eagle, the charity’s chief executive. “We’re delighted for Seyfu, too. We’ve worked with Seyfu for a number of years and [following the rejection of his claim] we could see him deteriorate in front of our eyes. But Heathside coaches have emailed this morning to say he’s a transformed person: a weight is off his shoulders.”

The Tribune’s story in December

Mr Eagle added: “We don’t know on what grounds they withdrew their decision, but our lawyer Esme has requested that information. She has been incredible. It was all done with her oversight. From a human perspective, I wish all lawyers were as good as her.”

Mr Jamaal told the Tribune in December how he saw unthinkable trauma before leaving Ethiopia in 2016.

“I witnessed people being murdered in the desert so that the traffickers could assert their authority,” he said. “To scare you into submission they beat you and ransom you, buy you and sell you. Running removes my stress, my mental problems – I forget, it’s my remedy.

“When I run I am healthy, I am happy. There are times you remember the problems, the journey, the traffickers, but I feel safe in England.”

Mr Jamaal is a former winner of the London Landmarks Half-Marathon, beating 14,000 others. He regularly participates in the Highbury Fields Parkrun and continues to compete at elite level with The Running Charity.

Mr Eagle said: “It’s a brand new chapter for Seyfu, but even when you get your immigration status and you’re given leave to remain, it’s still a challenging environment to succeed in for asylum seekers and refugees.”

He added: “We did a little fistbump in the air, and then it’s, ‘What’s next?’ We had a triumphant five minutes.”

Of the young people The Running Charity works with, some 30 per cent are asylum seekers.

“Seyfu has got this unique running ability, which enabled the community to get behind him,” said Mr Eagle.

“We’ve got other young people in the exact same position, but maybe their story wouldn’t get as much traction – but they still deserve to be treated with the same empathy. It’s an absolutely brutal system for them to navigate.”

While the Home Office said it does not comment on individual cases, a spokesperson said: “The asylum system is broken, which is why our New Plan for Immigration will ensure we are fair to those in genuine need and break the business model of heinous people smugglers. We are committed to resolving asylum claims quickly, but we are dealing with a significant number of claims that should have been made in a first safe country, rather than people risking their lives making dangerous crossings.”