West Belfast school 'heartbroken' over missing family

The principal of a west Belfast school attended by a missing Sudanese girl says staff and pupils are "heartbroken" over her disappearance.

Police are appealing for help in finding Mohammad Ishak Musa, 30, Oumama Abdullah Garnabi, 24, and their daughter Amani Mohammad Ishak.

Four-year-old Amani Mohammad Ishak attended St Clare's Primary School.

Principal Cathal O'Doherty told the BBC that she "was so cute, a very small little girl, she was like a doll".

He said there was no record of her at any school in the UK or the Republic of Ireland since the family were last seen in October 2020.

"She was lovely, very, very polite - a little quiet but that would have been because of the language barrier," he told BBC Radio Ulster's Evening Extra programme.

Amani attended from 1 September 2020 until the Halloween break, Mr O'Doherty said.

An educational welfare officer was contacted when Amani failed to return to class after the holiday, and a trace was put on the family, which turned up negative, he said.

Mr O'Doherty added: "Obviously we're heartbroken. It seems very strange, there's just no rhyme or reason as to why they've gone missing.

"Normally when a trace is put on we do find the families, either somewhere in NI in a different school or somewhere on the mainland.

"We have been in contact with the PSNI but as yet there's nothing that's turned up."

The family were living on Harrogate Street and had refugee status.

They entered Northern Ireland from the Republic of Ireland and had been staying at approved accommodation.

Police said that Oumama was heavily pregnant then and the family may now have a two or three-month-old baby.