Islamist rebels captured a port near the Somali capital on Wednesday without a fight.

Hundreds of fighters of the militant al Shabab group drove into the port, 56 miles south-west of Mogadishu, after government-aligned militia left overnight.

The capture gives al Shabab a new base for its attacks on the government and its Ethiopian military allies in Mogadishu.

It could also set back a UN-brokered peace process for the Horn of Africa nation, which has been stuck in civil conflict for the last 17 years.

Merka residents were bracing for a possible attempt by Somali-Ethiopian forces to re-take Merka.