In 2002 just half of all Burkinabes had access to clean water. In 2008 (the latest statistics available) this had risen to 76 percent - 95 percent in urban areas - and the MDG goal looks likely to be surpassed. Progress is down in part to major changes in how the National Office for Water and Sanitation delivers water to urban residents. full report

Restive northern Kenya sees shifting power, risks	Pastoralism’s economic contributions are significant but overlooked
Cape Town's asylum seekers struggle to get documented	Microcredit helps small businesses buck the system in Madagascar

Call for oil revenues to improve living standards in Congo

BRAZZAVILLE, 15 May 2013 (IRIN) - Congo, which is heavily dependent on revenue from the oil industry, has been declared as “conforming to” a global standard that aims to ensure transparency of payments for natural resources; NGOs hope the announcement will improve the lives of the poor. full report

Briefing: Towards internal solutions to the DRC crisis

KAMPALA, 14 May 2013 (IRIN) - A UN intervention brigade will soon be deployed to the troubled eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in a bid to neutralize militia groups operating there. full report

Quelling xenophobia in South Africa's townships

PHILIPPI, 14 May 2013 (IRIN) - This week marks five years since tensions between foreigners and South Africans living in impoverished communities across the country erupted in xenophobic violence, leaving more than 60 people dead and tens of thousands displaced, their homes and businesses robbed and abandoned. full report

Uganda grapples with paediatric vaccine shortages

KAMPALA, 14 May 2013 (IRIN) - Ugandan children are going unimmunized as the country grapples with persistent and widespread vaccine shortages, the result of insufficient funds and inefficient procurement and supply systems, officials say. full report

Boko Haram attacks hit school attendance in Borno State

KANO, NIGERIA, 14 May 2013 (IRIN) - Around 15,000 children in Borno State, northeastern Nigeria, have stopped attending classes since February 2013, according to a Borno State Ministry of Education official who preferred anonymity, as Boko Haram extremists continue a wave of attacks on state schools. full report

Analysis: Somali security sector reform

NAIROBI, 13 May 2013 (IRIN) - At Gashandiga barracks in Mogadishu, Somalia, Pvt Mohamed Sheikh Issak pulled back his military fatigues to show his scarred right shoulder. “I was shot by Al-Shabab when they still controlled half of Mogadishu,” he told IRIN. “I was at home, but they knew I was a soldier.” full report