Three weeks after the start of construction work on the new Suez Canal waterway, the armed forces engineering corps announced that the remains of a missing Egyptian soldier have been found near Ismailia. “As the workers were digging the waterway, they uncovered a military uniform and army water bottle of the type used by troops. The design of the uniform was one that had been used by the army decades ago,” a military source said. A unit was summoned to the scene to examine the remains, discovering the body of a dead soldier, a pair of boots, a canteen, comb and wallet containing a national ID and conscription card. “Remember those who sacrificed their lives to give you the opportunity to live in dignity. It is now your turn to make a sacrifice through work,” said Mustafa, a worker at the site. “This is the message we should take away from this incident.” The soldier was identified as Mohamed Atwa, but since both names are common it has not been easy to assign him to a specific family. As soon as the find was announced on television, two Delta families rushed to claim the dead man's remains. One woman could not believe it when she heard her father's name being read out on television. “They have found my father's body,” said Eman, 43, from the Dakahlia governorate, explaining that she had been just two years old when her father was declared missing during the October War in Sinai. Eman called a TV programme to identify herself as Atwa's daughter and gave his full name as Mohamed Hassan Atwa Abdel-Ghani. Within a few hours her village was crowded with visitors eager to hear more about the story. Without waiting for confirmation from the military, the governor of Dakahlia visited the house and shook hands with the family, promising to name a school after the dead man. Atwa joined the military in 1972. Four months before the start of the October War he was moved to the Suez Canal. Following the ceasefire, Atwa was declared missing, and four years later he was declared dead under Egyptian law. The TV and press circulated the story, and Atwa's family was hosted on a number of TV programmes. However, the following day different news came through from Sharqiya, another Delta governorate, when the military revealed its side of the story. “Examination of the ID has shown it to be that of Mohamed Ahmad Hassan Atwa, born in Sharqiya in 1954,” said armed forces spokesman Mohamed Samir. “He went missing on October 18, 1973, and was officially listed a martyr on October 18, 1977.” On receiving the news, the first Atwa family went straight to the local authorities, Eman at first refusing to admit the truth. “Everything found with the body confirms that it is that of my father,” she said. “I want the armed forces to hand over the body so that it can be buried in the family tomb. We have also asked for a DNA test.” However, Atwa's surviving brother later said that the family accepted that the body was not that of the dead man. “Both men sacrificed their lives for our country and for all of us to live in dignity,” said Hassan Atwa, 58, adding that he would be visiting the family of the other man. “We trust the army, and we are happy for the Atwa family in Sharqiya,” he said. In the village of Faqous in Sharqiya, people gathered to celebrate the finding of the body. “Although I never knew my father, I am proud that he sacrificed his life to defend the country,” said Salah Atwa, 42, the dead man's son, who was only a few months old when his father went missing. Both Salah and his brother Mohamed are working as teachers in the village school, and they asked that a school or street in the village be named after their dead father. They also asked President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi to give instructions that the body be buried in the family tomb. “Our late mother did not marry again after the death of her husband and preferred to look after me and my brother. She died 25 years ago, but she always dreamed that one day she would be laid to rest next to her husband. We would like to see this dream come true,” Salah said. After Al-Sisi gave permission for the funeral to take place, a funeral procession duly occurred in Faqous. Thousands of people turned out to accompany the dead man on his final journey. Earlier this week, news spread over social media that the remains of another soldier were found during the construction work. Hassan Afifi, assistant chief of staff of the engineering corps, denied the reports, however. “No other remains have been found and no second find has been reported.” Last month, President Al-Sisi launched the construction of a 72 km-waterway parallel to the existing Suez Canal as part of a larger project designed to establish Egypt as a global trade and industrial hub. The project sparked hope among tens of millions of Egyptians eager to see an end to the recent economic and social disturbances. “The body found at the Suez Canal could be a message from those who sacrificed their lives for us, demanding that we rebuild our country and restore its international role and reputation,” said Medhat Al-Adl, a writer.
