Jun 26, 2009, 9:58 GMT
Johannesburg - Human Rights Watch called Friday on the African Union to set up a commission to investigate allegations of indiscriminate use of force by peacekeepers in conflict-ridden Somalia.
An AU peacekeeping force of 4,300 troops from Uganda and Burundi is propping up the Somali government, which is wobbling under a fierce onslaught by Islamist insurgents.
The peacekeepers have faced repeated accusations of responding to roadside bombs and other attacks by randomly opening fire on civilians.
'The Somalia peacekeeping mission is the AU's toughest and most dangerous undertaking in Africa today,' Georgette Gagnon, Africa director at HRW, said in a statement. 'The AU should ensure that its troops are not drawn into the abuse that surrounds them.'
HRW alleged that peacekeepers in February killed at least 13 Somalis, most of them civilians, when they opened fire wildly following an attack.
The body, which sent its request to AU leaders in advance of a the upcoming AU summit in Libya on July 1-3, said that all such incidents should be investigated and those responsible held to account.
Civilians have borne the brunt of Somalia's bloody insurgency, which broke out in early 2007 after Ethiopia invaded to kick out an Islamist regime.
An estimated 18,000 civilians have died, while over a million have fled. Millions more are dependent on food aid.
Insurgent groups al-Shabaab and Hizbul Islam launched a major offensive in early May aimed at toppling President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, who was appointed this year as part of a United-Nations backed peace process.
The Somali government has unsuccessfully appealed for foreign military intervention as it clings to power.
However, the United States on Thursday confirmed it had sent an unspecified amount of weapons and ammunition to the Somali government.
The US is concerned about the consequences for regional security if al-Shabaab, which has links to al-Qaeda, takes over Somalia.
Somalia has been embroiled in chaos since the 1991 ouster of dictator Mohamed Siad Barre.
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