Irish forces serving in Chad will receive Christmas presents from their families in the coming days.

IRISH troops in Chad will swap their EU hats for blue UN berets when the UN takes over from the EU’s peacekeeping mission there next March, Defence Minister Willie O’Dea has said.

IRISH soldiers have destroyed more than 150 unexploded rockets, grenades and army shells, potentially saving the lives of African villagers who would have come in contact with them.

IRISH troops are leading a mission in Chad to protect refugee farmers returning to their land and reassure villages of their safety under the protection of EU troops.

IRISH troops have had more than 200 encounters with armed bandits and have come under fire while defending refugee camps in Chad, the mid-term review of the mission to the embattled African state has been told.

In the complex, long-running war the real peacekeeper’s weapon can be an understanding of human nature and some good communication skills

THE refugee camp of D’jabal is a rough 20-minute ride away from Camp Ciara.

THE sign reads Chad International Airport, but there is just a handful of airplanes are parked on the sandy, red runway — and certainly no duty-free.

BOTH the UN and Javier Solana, the EU’s foreign policy chief, have defended the actions of Irish troops in Chad when armed groups tried to attack refugee camps and NGO compounds at the weekend.

IRISH troops came under fire from rebel groups in Chad where they are protecting refugee camps close to the Darfur border.

Rebels trying to topple President Idriss Deby today attacked a town in eastern Chad where thousands of refugees are taking shelter.

IN TEMPERATURES of up to 55°C and in one of the most dangerous parts of the world, members of the Irish army were among the first to vote in the Lisbon treaty referendum.