Syrian Refugees to arrive in Fermanagh next year

by Gráinne Connolly

Syrian Refugees will be arriving in County Fermanagh next year, as part of the Syrian Person Relocation Scheme. 

A spokesperson from the Department for Communities (DfC) has said: 

"The Northern Ireland Executive is committed to accepting groups of refugees on a regular basis and it is expected that groups will arrive approximately every two months over the coming three years. 

"An Operational Planning Group led by the Department for Communities looks at the specific arrangements to resettle the refugees. 

"The Department works closely with all local councils to put in place the necessary arrangements. The availability of suitable housing to meet the needs of the refugees is the priority when considering locations for resettlement."

This will be the first time for Syrian refugee families to be brought to Fermanagh, however they've been re-located across other parts of Northern Ireland. 

The DfC spokesperson says there's no exact details as of yet for this arrival:

"A number of families have been resettled in County Tyrone. No Syrian families have been resettled in County Fermanagh so far. 

"However, there are plans to begin settling families in County Fermanagh from 2018 as the resettlement process continues. 

"The detailed arrangements, including arrival dates and resettlement locations, are worked out by the Operational Planning Group closer to the time of arrival."

Through the scheme that resettles Syrian refugees in the UK, 703 have been brought to Northern Ireland in the past two years. 

Most recently, a group of 71 people, consisting of 19 families, arrived in October and were resettled in Dungannon, Magherafelt, Belfast, Armagh, Lisburn and Derry-Londonderry.