A/HRC/13/65 page 13 IV. HUMAN RIGHTS SITUATION IN THE SOUTH-CENTRAL REGION 45. The new Transitional Federal Government was greeted initially with some optimism by the local population in Mogadishu in January 2009. There was general expectation that the human rights situation would improve. However, President Sheikh Sharif’s Government was heavily challenged by hard-line Islamist opposition groups, principally Al-Shabaab and Hizbul Islam, beginning with a major offensive for control of Mogadishu on 7 May 2009. Outside Mogadishu, which was itself only partly controlled by Government forces, alliances between and within armed groups changed constantly, resulting in a continuing volatile situation in south-central Somalia. In some areas not controlled by either Al-Shabaab, Hizbul Islam or the Transitional Federal Government, local administrations were set up by local communities, where the situation was slightly better. 46. As the fighting between the Government and the armed Islamists (and in some places within the armed groups) was primarily concentrated in the south-central region, it is there that most of the human rights violations occurred. The spillover effect was also felt in the north. 47. In the absence of an effective central Government and in the context of ongoing armed conflicts, civilians, especially women and children, continued to suffer from indiscriminate attacks and retaliatory acts from both sides. The continuous flow of arms to all parties to the conflict and the lack of accountability for serious violations of human rights and humanitarian law exacerbated the culture of impunity. Below is a summary of human rights violations suffered by the population in the south-central region grouped under four broad categories. A. The right to life and physical integrity 48. The horrific attacks by hard-line Islamists during the period under review left a large number of persons dead and wounded. The most devastating of such attacks was the suicide bombing of the graduation ceremony of medical students, mentioned earlier, on 3 December 2009. Protection of civilians in the conflict thus remains one of the most serious concerns in relation to the right to life and physical integrity. Conducting hostilities in an urban area, with Al-Shabaab taking up positions and firing from civilian areas, and retaliatory fire from Government forces supported by AMISOM inevitably increased the risks to the civilians. There have been allegations that the principles of proportionality and of only attacking clearly identified military targets have not been respected. The introduction of suicide-bombing by the insurgents has added a new dimension to the conflict. 49. The AMISOM troops who guarded Mogadishu and key Government installations were themselves frequently targeted by the Islamists. The worst incident of this kind occurred in September 2009 when the Deputy Force Commander and at least 17 peacekeepers were killed in coordinated suicide attacks on AMISOM troops. Retaliatory attacks by the latter reportedly also caused civilian casualties.