SOLDIERS from Wexford have been working away in heat of over 40 degrees in Chad in recent times as their family members and friends endured the coldest spell this country has seen in many years. Model County soldiers are well represented among those members of the Irish Defence Forces currently in Chad.

The Irish contingent in the country's volatile eastern flank, around 30 miles from the Sudanese border, number over 400 at the moment as the 101st Infantry Battalion are currently in the middle of a hand-over of duties before they depart for home – and the tail end of the Irish winter.

The Co. Wexford soldiers are all working in different areas, from signals and transport to engineering and ordinance to reconnaissance, with some of them in Chad for up to 20 weeks now.

The Irish camp is based next to a town called Goz Beida and the troops are primarily responsible for protecting refugees fleeing from the violence in Sudan as well as Chadians displaced by local unrest.

'We're due to return home shortly and are in the process of handing over the various aspects of the mission,' said Captain Jason Culloty.

Captain Culloty said there are up to 180,000 displaced by the conflict in Chad and 130,000 of those are in the area that the Irish troops are responsible for.

He said one of the hardest things for the new arrivals to get used to is the climate, with temperatures currently above 40 degrees – in stark contrast with our own recent weather.

Captain Culloty said all the soldiers missed their family and friends over the holiday period, but they had various events put on to keep them entertained and the army organised for their loved ones to send them Christmas boxes full of goodies from home.

Many of the Co. Wexford soldiers are now looking forward to coming home and Liam McGrath, whose family hail from Michael Street in New Ross, sent his best wishes to his mother Breda McCarthy (nee Bowe) in London. The command of the Chad peace enforcement mission last year changed from the European Union to United Nations, meaning the troops now wear the familiar blue beret of the U.N. even though their operations remain the same under the U.N. mission, known as MINURCAT.

- Conor CULLEN