450+ Eritreans flee to Ethiopia
2008-01-25 14:54
Addis Ababa - More than 450 Eritreans, including 234 soldiers, fled their country into Ethiopia in January alone, Ethiopia's administration for refugee and returnee affairs said on Friday in a statement.
The statement said 469 Eritreans "fleeing oppression in their country" crossed into Ethiopia since the start of the year, including 54 women.
"The Eritreans entered Ethiopia crossing the border into Tigray and Afar states," said the statement said.
It added: "Among them, 234 are soldiers and 235 people of many walks of life including students. Currently, about 25 000 Eritrean refugees are taking shelter at camps in Tigray and Afar regional states."
The statement could not be immediately confirmed by independent sources, but the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees estimated that more than 20 000 the number of Eritreans who had taken refuge in Ethiopia.
Tension ran high between the two enemy countries, with tens of thousands of soldiers facing off on either side of their disputed border, on the brink of a fresh conflict.
A border war between 1998 and 2000 left at least 70 000 people dead, and the dispute remained unresolved despite a peace agreement and a ruling by a UN-appointed panel.