Somalia's religious leaders whipped up religious fervour against Ethiopia on Monday, telling demonstrators God had commanded that they fight troops sent into the country by Addis Ababa to oppose their advance.
"We are telling Ethiopia that we are ready to die," said Sheikh Mukhtar Robow, a senior leader in charge of defence. "We've been commanded by God to fight you," he said at a rally of hundreds of mostly young men and a few veiled women at a football stadium in the capital.
The demonstrators set fire to an Ethiopian flag to cries of "God is great!" At the same rally, leader Sheikh Sharif Ahmed also condemned the Ethiopian presence, but suggested his movement may resume stalled talks with the government. "The Islamic courts are ready for talks against the use of force or foreign troops," he told the crowds.
Witnesses say Ethiopia has moved thousands of troops across the border to protect Baidoa, provincial base of Somalia's interim government, against religious leaders who have seized Mogadishu and a large swathe of the country.