The officer in charge of 400 Irish troops who are going shortly to Chad has said the four-month delay in their deployment has been frustrating and unhelpful.
But Lieutenant Colonel Paddy McDaniel said the postponements were outside the control of the Defence Forces.
He said the 400 troops, mostly from Donegal, Galway and Athlone, will now be deployed in groups from the end of April until mid-May.
Col McDaniel said there are a lot of difficulties involved in the Chad mission and there was apprehension about some aspects of the undertaking. Despite the dangers, he said the risk threat to peacekeepers in Chad is 'medium' and his forces are up to the task.
But he said the troops are satisfied they will be able to fulfil their mandate and do it well.
Concerns about security and back-up facilities in dangerous and land-locked Chad have held up the departure of these soldiers.
This morning, some of those on standby for Chad took part in a special Mass.
During the Palm Sunday Service, they remembered the hundreds of thousands of refugees from Darfur and aid workers who they will be protecting during their four month tour of duty.
The latest pictures from Chad show some the fifty Irish rangers, who have been there for the past month, boarding a transport plane taking them on a long range patrol.
An Irish general, Pat Nash, is commanding the 4,000 strong international force there.
It has now emerged that sixty Dutch marines will provide additional reconnaissance for the Irish during their tour of duty.
This evening, rebels in Chad have threatened to attack oilfields in the oil-producing Doba region unless France and the US put pressure on President Idriss Deby to start talks with his enemies.
