Fjarðarbyggð municipality in East Iceland plans to welcome five Iraqi refugee families this year, RÚV reports. The families number 27 individuals in total and are currently located in Jordan.
The families are expected to arrive in Iceland in mid-February and will likely be resettled in Reyðarfjörður and Neskaupsstaður, two of the larger towns within the municipality.
The town council agreed to begin negotiations on the reception of refugees with the Ministry of Welfare in October. Authorities believe the municipality is well-positioned to accommodate quota refugees, with a wealth of knowledge and experience as well as good services and employment opportunities.
The Icelandic government agreed last year to receive up to 55 quota refugees in 2018. The focus in recent years has been on receiving Syrian refugees. Mosfellsbær has been invited to receive 10 LGBT+ Ugandan refugees from Kenyan refugee camps as part of this year’s quota.
