Somali joy as Ethiopians withdraw
Residents of the Somali capital celebrate as Ethiopian troops leave their Mogadishu bases, despite fears of a power vacuum.

Saudi tanker 'freed off Somalia'
A supertanker is released by Somali pirates after a ransom is dropped onto the ship by parachute, reports say.

Somalia's president quits office
Somalia's President Abdullahi Yusuf tells parliament he is resigning, adding to the chaos as Ethiopian troops withdraw.

Somalia mission extended
The African Union agrees to extend its peacekeeping mission in Somalia for two more months, but is unable to bolster its force.

Somalia nearing a 'total famine'
Somalia is in danger of sliding into famine as the world focuses on piracy off its coast, the Red Cross warns.

Stoning victim 'begged for mercy'
A young woman stoned to death in Somalia pleaded for her life, a witness tells the BBC, while two men are flogged in Mogadishu.

Somali shoppers killed by shells
Shells are fired near Mogadishu's main market, leaving at least 20 people dead, witnesses say.

Meeting the militants
The BBC's Rob Walker meets members of al-Shabab, the Islamic militia playing an increasingly deadly role in the conflict in Somalia.

East Africa's new Afghanistan?
After a US missile killed a senior leader of an Islamist militant group in Somalia, the BBC's Rob Watson considers how serious the West considers the militant threat from the region.

Q&A: Somalia's conflict
Why are insurgents continuing to battle Somalia's moderate Islamist president?

Clan divisions behind violence
As Somalia's capital turns to rubble a solution to the crisis looks unlikely because of clan politics, writes the BBC's Noel Mwakugu.

Timeline
A chronology of key events

Country profile
Key facts, figures and dates

Profile: Somalia's Islamic 'lads'
The BBC's Mary Harper profiles a Somali Islamic group that has been added to the US list of foreign terrorist organisations.

Life in Somalia: Personal stories
Eight Somalis talk about their hopes for a new government after 13 years of lawlessness.

Somalia: Who supports who?
A look at who is backing the key players in Somalia, as fears grow of a regional conflict.

Star's road to Eden
Somalia's most enduring star and first female taxi driver, Maryam Mursal, wants to use her music for the good of Africa.

Somaliland: Land in limbo
Life in Somaliland is improving but poverty remains rife, reports the BBC's Robert Walker.

Where pirates roam free
The attack on the luxury liner Seabourn Spirit off the coast of Somalia highlights the dramatic rise in piracy in the region this year.

Sheikh Hassan Aweys
Islamist hardliner Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys - on the US terror list.

Sheikh Sharif Ahmed
Former Islamic Courts chairman Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed was drawn into activism after the kidnapping of a Somalia school pupil.

Ali Mohamed Ghedi
Somalia's new prime minister is not a career politician, but as an intellectual it is hoped he will command the respect of the country's many warlords.

Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed
Somalia's new president, Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed, is a military strongman.

Independent speaker
The ousted speaker of Somalia's transitional parliament, Shariff Hassan Sheik Adan, has a reputation for honesty, as well as being independent-minded.

Somali woman leader's peace call
BBC's David Loyn speaks to Somalia's top female politician.