File photo shows a refugee family at the Ethiopia-Somalia border on Aug. 22, 2011. (Xinhua/Jin Liwang)

ADDIS ABABA, Sept. 15 (Xinhua) -- Ethiopia received 72,890 refugees in the first eight months of 2017 ending August 31, according to the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR).

Speaking to Xinhua on Friday, Kisut Gebreegziabher, Assistant Communications Officer at UNHCR Ethiopia said the largest group of refugees come from South Sudan at 44,000 followed by Eritreans at 17,000 and Somalis at over 6,400.

"Refugees from South Sudan fled to Ethiopia to escape civil war, Eritrean refugees mentioned indefinite military conscription and human rights violations for their flight while Somalis mentioned a combination of conflict and drought for fleeing to Ethiopia" he added.

The 72,890 refugees recorded in Ethiopia in the first eight months of 2017 have pushed the number of refugees living in Ethiopia to reach 852,721 as of August 21, making the country home to the second largest refugee population in Africa, according to UNHCR.

Ethiopia's foreign ministry last month reaffirmed the country's open-door policy for refugees, saying the country has managed to sustain national development together with addressing issues of refugee.

Gebreegziabher said UNHCR is giving basic social services to refugees living in 26 refugee camps in six regional states of Ethiopia.

The social services given by UNHCR in the refugee camps include education, health, water and sanitation, food security, nutrition support and community empowerment.

The 26 refugee camps are located in Gambella, Tigray, Afar, Benishangul Gumuz, Oromia and Ethiopia Somali regional states.