Chad has asked the United Nations not to renew the mandate of its mission in the central African country in March.
"We have officially notified the special representative of the United Nations Secretary-General of our wish to not renew Minurcat's mandate," said General Oky Dagache, President Idriss Deby's representative to the Minurcat, as the UN mission in Chad is known.
Gen Dagache declined to give an immediate reason, but a UN source in Chad suggested the request may be a tactical move aimed at reforming the force's mandate.
Minurcat's year-long mandate began last March, when 5,000 UN-commanded troops took over from a European Union force. Ireland has some 400 troops in the country as part of the UN force.
Minurcat is responsible for ensuring security for humanitarian actions, particularly in the north-east of Chad, which borders Sudan's Darfur.
"The meeting (with the UN) is on March 15th so we are still waiting, but we are in negotiations," Gen Dagache said.
Violence in Darfur fflared in early 2003, when mostly non-Arab rebels began fighting the Sudanese government and Khartoum responded by mobilising militia to quell the uprising.
The United Nations estimates the ensuing conflict claimed 300,000 lives and drove two million people from their homes.
Relations between Chad and Sudan are key to the conflict in Darfur, and the two countries have accused each other of supporting rebels fighting for more power.
Reuters