Total prison population:  Somalia does not publish prison figures

Crime trend: Widespread breakdown of law and order since 1991

Armed clan factions (some, in remoter regions, engaged in family feuds rather than the war) and bandits rule large areas. In Mogadishu a "national" police force has been established, and possession of firearms outlawed. Sharia (Islamic law), now the de facto system, is run in a makeshift fashion by elders.

From "The Financial Times World Desk Reference" © Dorling Kindersley 2004