The Chinese state oil giant, CNOOC, has won permission to search for oil in part of Somalia, underlining China's willingness to brave Africa's most volatile regions in its hunt for natural resources.

Somalia has been a no-go area for US oil companies since it descended into anarchy in the early 1990s. This year the capital, Mogadishu, has seen its worst violence in 16 years as insurgents seek to topple a fragile interim government.