ADDIS ABABA, March 19, 2008 (AFP) - More than 3,000 Eritreans, about a third of them soldiers, have fled their country for northern Ethiopia in the past six months, officials said Wednesday.

'From September 12 to March 9, 2008, more than 3,000 arrived in Ethiopia. They include 1,300 soldiers, as well as students and civil servants,' said Hailesellasie Gebremariam, a government official in charge of refugee affairs.

Hailesellasie said the monthly influx increased dramatically since last year.

'The immigrants have been receiving the necessary treatment in camps in Tigrai and Afar states... and representatives of donor countries visited the camps during the stated period,' he added.

The claims could not be immediately confirmed by independent sources, but the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) estimates that more than 20,000 Eritreans have taken refuge in Ethiopia.

Tensions run high between the two countries with a total of 200,000 troops from both sides facing off on either side of their border, threatening a fresh conflict.

A border war between 1998 and 2000 left at least 70,000 people dead, and the dispute remains unresolved despite a peace agreement and a ruling by a UN-appointed panel.