Weekly Links

By Taylor Marvin

Violence appears to be increasing in South Sudan, with many fearing civil war. Sparked by the apparent recent coup attempt, the unrest stems from rivalries between the young country’s president and former vice president. Lesley Anne Warner discusses the need for reporting on the crisis to “do no harm.”

After attacks on US servicemembers in the country, President Obama warned Sunday that further US military action to protect US citizens in South Sudan may be necessary. The Committee to Protect Journalists notes that the deteriorating security situation is impeding the flow of accurate information, with the NGO’s East Africa representative commenting that “we are seeing a lot of local reporters actually not reporting because they are too scared to go out in the field and that has of course left a vacuum in news reporting.”

Mali in 2013: A year of elections and further challenges.

Like Lionel Beehner, in a NYT op-ed Howard W. French reflects on the success of the UN Force Intervention Brigade in DR Congo.

In Syria, regime aircraft have carried out a destructive bombing campaign in Aleppo using improvised “barrel bombs.” More on these weapons here.

Andrew Lebovich passes along an anecdote about strained relations between French jihadis and others in Syria: “Many of the French fighters in Syria and elsewhere are not taken seriously and do not see the front lines, instead being given secondary roles.”

Is Iraq facing the prospect of renewed civil war in 2014?

Gary Owen checks in on reports — or “rumors” — last week of joint Taliban and Afghan National Army patrols in the Sangin district of Helmand province.

The Washington Post’s Dana Priest reported this week on covert CIA assistance — including precision-guided munitions — to Colombian security forces battling FARC rebels.

Mikhail Kalashnikov, designer of one of history’s most influential weapons, died Monday.

In the world of violent political rhetoric, the ongoing Iranian debate over the famed “Death the the Great Satan” slogan continues.