African 'peacekeepers' make Somalia deadliest place for civilians

And the only ambulance service in the war-torn capital Mogadishu said more than 4,200 bystanders had died in warfare over the past two years.

The seaside capital sees frequent barrages of mortars, rockets and artillery shells fired between Islamist insurgents like al-Shabab and pro-government forces which protect the sliver of land controlled by the United Nations and US-backed Somali government.

The head of the city's ambulance service, Ali Muse, blamed pro-government forces from the African Union and Somali troops for the majority of the civilian deaths – about 80 per cent.

"All of those victims are civilians killed either by stray bullets or hit by mortars or by artillery shells," said Mr Muse, of the Lifeline Africa Ambulance Service. "About 80 per cent of them died at Bakara market, which is the main target of the African Union peacekeepers."

Major Barigye Bahoku, spokesman for the 7,000-strong African Union force in Mogadishu, said he could not comment on the ambulance service report.

Human rights groups and Mogadishu residents have repeatedly accused the African Union of indiscriminately targeting populated areas of the city with artillery fire after insurgents fire mortars towards AU troops.

Sarah Holewinski, executive director of Civic, the US-based Campaign for Innocent Victims in Conflict, said civilians bore the brunt of war in Somalia, Iraq and Afghanistan.

But she said Somalia may be the most dangerous because neither side abided by obligations under international law to avoid civilian casualties.