Irish forces will be in Chad in a few weeks, as part of a larger EU force to help secure refugee camps.
The troops will be in the area of Koukou on the tense eastern border with Sudan's war-torn Darfur region, where the situation is increasingly unstable.
Medecins Sans Frontiéres, an NGO with a reputation for sticking it out even when other NGOs leave a tough area, has recently suspended work in Koukou after some of its workers were attacked in the area.
Fighting has resumed between rebel groups and government forces, and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees is considering a massive evacuation.
