Eyewitness said that three children, all brothers, were killed after mortar shells hit their place. Residents accused African Union peacekeepers for shelling civilian areas in the capital.

Eight other displaced civilians died in the camp around Digfer hospital in Mogadishu after mortars hit the camp.

A resident Alas Gutale told AfricaNews that the clashes were the worst shelling since Ramadan begun.

Ali Muse, director of Mogadishu's ambulance service, has confirmed the collection of about 53 civilians from different areas as parts of Hodan, Halwadag and Bakara market.

Rebel militias control most of southern Somalia while the weak Somali government backed by western countries runs only a little of the country, including the airport.

The insurgents frequently fire mortars to bases of the AU peacekeeping forces and Somali weak government but AU and government forces react in the areas controlled by the rebel group.

The fighting in Somalia has killed over 21,000 Somalis since 2007 and 1.5 million people displaced inside the country while another 560,000 civilians have registered as refugees in neighbouring countries. Somalia is one of the world's worst humanitarian emergencies.