More than 4,000 refugees from the Central African Republic have recently crossed border into southern Chad to flee attacks, raising the number of the country's refugees in Chad to nearly 40,000, the United Nations said on Friday.

This is the third major exodus in two months. About 10,000 refugees fled to Chad in June and July to avoid fighting between the government troops and unidentified military groups, representative of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to southern Chad George Menze said.

According to Menze, nearly 30,000 refugees, most of whom fled a 2003 coup, stayed at Amboko and Yaroungou refugee camps near the town of Gore.

The Central African Republic, a former French colony, is one of the world's poorest countries and has been shaken by a series of attempted coups and mutinies in the past two decade.

Francois Bozize, who became the head of state after a coup in 2003, was elected president of the Central African Republic this May.

Source: Xinhua