Defence minister Willie O'Dea has agreed to send up to 350 troops to the war-torn African region, with the first due to arrive by Christmas.

The Sunday Tribune understands that the first troops sent out will be members of the elite Army Ranger Wing. A group of reconnaissance experts will leave for Africa in the next 10 days to prepare for the deployment.

Under a UN resolution passed last week, the army will be able to use "all available measures" to ensure the safety of the estimated 250,000 refugees who have fled Darfur and around 175,000 internal refugees. In past missions, such as in Lebanon, the army acted as observers and peacekeepers only.