Man who escaped Syria after being hit with stray bullet among 100 granted citizenship in Saskatoon ceremony

Ahmad and Hala Kuman reached a long-awaited milestone Tuesday.

The Syrian siblings, who came to Canada as refugees after years of tribulations were among a group of 100 people who took their oaths of citizenship in Saskatoon.

Tuesday's citizenship ceremony was a special one, hosted by the Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission on Human Rights Day at TCU Place in Saskatoon. The UN's Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted 76 years ago on that date.

The Kumans' lives have not been easy. On one of his last nights in Syria, Ahmad survived being hit with a stray bullet. He said he and his brother were sleeping in their grandfather's basement when the bullet came in through the wall, went through his brother's arm and into Ahmad's back.

"It was just two inches from my kidney," he said.

WATCH | These Syrian siblings took their oath of Canadian citizenship days after Assad regime fell: 

These Syrian siblings took their oath of Canadian citizenship days after Assad regime fell

11 days ago

Duration 2:02

Ahmad Kuman fled Syria with his family after being shot in the side while he was sleeping. He and his sister, Hala, were among 100 people who took their oath of citizenship during a special ceremony in Saskatoon in honour of Human Rights Day.

At Tuesday's ceremony, Ahmad said he was excited and nervous. The siblings applied for citizenship three years ago and were told they would just have to wait.

Hala said becoming a Canadian citizen came with a flurry of emotions.

"To be honest, I have butterflies in my stomach right now. So it's like happy and nervous at the same time," Hala said.

"It's, like, a safe place and people are really positive here and, like, I'm really liking it 'cause there's a lot of positive people. And in Syria, there wasn't that much positivity. There was always a kind of negativity."

Both said they're happy that the Assad regime has fallen in Syria.

Francisca Esezobor, originally from Nigeria, came to Saskatchewan in 2021. She too waited three years from the start of the citizenship process to taking the oath Tuesday.

"I feel so happy," Esezobor said. "It's a privilege that I'm here today. Like, coming from back home, we've always wanted security and peace of mind for our son, and I've been able to achieve that being here."

She said a large Nigerian community in Saskatchewan made the transition a lot easier.

Esezobor said she believes the system in Canada works. Using herself as an example, she said if you do your part and follow the right path, you'll get what you want. 

"That's exactly what I'm doing today, after three years of coming in as a permanent resident, I'm now a citizen."