Somalia's interim government says Eritrea is sending troops and weapons to Somalia to bolster an increasingly powerful Islamist movement.

Somalia's envoy to the African Union's Peace and Security Council, Abdikarim Farah, says three ships with 1,500 Eritrean troops have docked in the Somali ports of Warshika and Merka. He also told the council in Ethiopia Friday that arms have been shipped from Eritrea to Mogadishu and other parts of Somalia.

He says these activities are blocking peace talks between the Somali government and the Islamists, who have seized control of the capital and are gaining strength throughout the country.

Ethiopia says it will support Somalia's weak transitional government against a possible Islamist takeover, but denies accusations if has troops in the country.

The head of the Islamic Council , Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys, has threatened a "full-scale war" if Ethiopian troops do not leave.