All sides guilty of war crimes in Somalia, says Human Rights Watch

War crimes have been committed by all sides in the conflict in Somalia - Ethiopian troops, Somali government forces and the insurgents they are fighting - according to a new report from Human Rights Watch.

Researchers say Ethiopian forces indiscriminately bombarded highly populated areas of Mogadishu with rockets, mortars and artillery during two periods of intense fighting in March and April. Hospitals were targeted and some civilians were executed.

Insurgents loyal to the Union of Islamic Courts (UIC) were also criticised for deploying in densely populated neighbourhoods and carrying out targeted killings of civilian officials in the Somali government.

Ethiopian forces entered Somalia last year in a successful attempt to oust the UIC. Hundreds of people were killed and more than 400,000 fled their homes during the fighting.

Tom Porteous, of Human Rights Watch, said: "It was pretty clear some very serious fighting was going on and that civilians were bearing the brunt of it. The US and the EU need to start taking the situation in Somalia seriously and stop turning a blind eye to it," he said.

Washington gave its backing to Ethiopia's military operation in December, which ousted the UIC. The US has long been concerned about the presence of several al-Qa'ida suspects in Somalia. But aid workers are worried that the US's counter-terrorism aims are taking precedence over humanitarian issues. "America's security agenda has planted its feet firmly in the region and has really distorted multilateral efforts of engagement," said one worker.

A reconciliation conference has been taking place in Mogadishu for the past month, but the main opposition groups have boycotted it and the level of violence has not decreased, with civilians caught in the crossfire.