The Ethiopians took Baidoa, the second-biggest town held by the Shabab, on February 22nd.

ECONOMIST: Somalia��s future

They now threaten the weak interim government's current seat, north-west at Baidoa.

ECONOMIST: Politics this week

The last section of the 241km- (149 mile-) road from Mogadishu to Baidoa was successfully secured on Monday, said the African Union mission in Somalia, which has 18, 000 troops in the country.

BBC: Somalia: Mogadishu to Baidoa road 'reopened'

The European Union, with Italy and Britain, as former colonial powers, to the fore, will probably try to shore up the transitional government in Baidoa while coming to terms with the Islamists in Mogadishu.

ECONOMIST: Somalia

In Baidoa, a town shattered by over a decade of fighting, Mohammed Sayid Hersi - more commonly known as General Morgan - sits under a shady tree with allies from the Somali Reconciliation and Restoration Council (SRRC).

BBC: Somalia pushed to brink of disaster