Ethiopia opened an embassy in the chaotic Somali capital next to the presidential palace today, the latest sign of the Horn of Africa military power's close ties with a Somali government it wants to sustain.
Ethiopian Foreign Minister Seyoum Mesfin, a key player in Addis Ababa's efforts to bolster the government of Somali President Abdullahi Yusuf, opened the embassy on the third day of his latest visit to Mogadishu.
Seyoum and Somali Prime Minister Ali Mohamed Gedi, appointed from obscurity at Addis Ababa's behest in late 2004, jointly raised Ethiopia's green, yellow and red flag at the opening ceremony.
"Our peace and stability have been jeopardised by a handful of extremists who profess to be holy men ... which contradicts the tenets of Islam as peaceful, tolerant and accommodating," Mr Seyoum said.
Mr Yusuf was also present as Ethiopian sharpshooters kept watch from nearby rooftops. Ethiopia's army helped Mr Yusuf's soldiers oust a militant Islamist group from southern Somalia in a quick war over the New Year, clearing the way for the government to return to a capital that had lain beyond its grasp since its formation in 2004.
Both Addis Ababa and Washington say Islamist leaders have ties to al-Qaeda, an assessment independent security experts share.