Fifteen refugees from Eritrea and Somalia have left Malta to begin a new life in the US over the past week, the American Embassy said.

They will be resettled in several cities. Each refugee will be assigned a sponsor agency that provides initial services such as housing, food and clothing, as well as a referral to medical care, employment services and other support during a transition period lasting up to two years. This will ensure their integration and assimilation.

The US has been actively engaged in refugee resettlement from Malta since 2006 and has resettled 773 refugees during that time, the embassy said.