Holed up in Villa Somalia, President Sheikh Sharif Ahmed says he's not afraid. At his complex and under the protection of African Union troops, Somalia's new president says he has no reason to fear his former Islamist allies, who are now battling his government.

Villa Somalia may be the best guarded place in the Somali capital of Mogadishu, but it's also the most at risk. The complex is the home of the country's four-month-old transition government, headed by Ahmed.

Islamist militants have repeatedly attacked the complex -- most recently on Tuesday with a barrage of mortar shells that killed eight people.

The entire district is under the protection of peacekeepers sent in by the African Union (AU). They're tasked with protecting the president and his government from the radical Islamists trying to take over the country.

His office is the only place in the capital he can be sure of his safety, and he lays the blame for this squarely on neighbouring Eritrea.

"We know most of the militia's weapons come from Eritrea," he told FRANCE 24 on Wednesday. "These groups don't even bother hiding their affiliation with Al Qaeda and Eritrea."

"The presence of foreign combatants has been confirmed by our intelligence," he continues. "They want to destabilise Somalia further, to give them a base from which to attack the rest of the world."

The president was one of the leaders of the Islamic Courts Union, an Islamist group that took over much of the running of the country.

Since becoming president in January, he has become the target of radical Islamists, who accuse him of selling out to the West by participating in a UN-backed peace process. The groups include the al Shabaab group, which Western security services say is al Qaeda's proxy in Somalia.

Surrounded by concrete barriers and AU troops, Sharif says he's not concerned for his safety. "I feel safe and secure," he told FRANCE 24. "It's only Al Qaeda propaganda that says I'm in danger. I'm not afraid."