This Week, While You Were At Work: Protests And Conflicts From Caracas To Kiev, In Photos

This week, people took to the streets, to barricades and to fortifications to protest and fight in Central African Republic, Egypt, Libya, Syria, Turkey, Ukraine and Venezuela. Those were the most notable violence venues; in some cases, smaller uprisings, battles and confrontations received little media attention, and in others, including Thailand and South Sudan, the week brought an intermission from conflicts the week before.

Most eyes were on Ukraine, and in particular, Crimea, where Russian military incursions threaten to explode into war of unknown proportions.

Meanwhile, violence continues in Venezuela, where supporters and foes of President Nicolas Maduro held rallies after a month of deadly unrest.

Unrest in the countries of the Arab Spring continued from Egypt to Libya and Syria, where governments that formed following the toppling of autocratic rulers and rebel groups fighting existing regimes were embroiled in deadly conflicts.

In Libya, disputes between rival militias threaten to undermine the government that succeeded the late despot Moammar Gadhafi, with armed militias battling over cities, towns, rural areas and the Mediterranean port where a North Korean-flagged oil tanker was fired upon by pro-government militias seeking to prevent it from departing a rival militia-held area. In Benghazi, people protested to demand the return of the militia that helped topple Gadhafi, saying the army and police have been unable to protect them against bombings and assassinations in the city, and they believe the militia will be able to provide better security. Continuing unrest caused the country's parliament to vote Prime Minister Ali Zeidan out of office.

After three years of uprising-turned-civil-war, Syria remains the most intractible battlefield, with a bewildering array of rebel groups -- some affiliated with al Qaeda -- battling the troops of President Bashar Assad, who are accused of using chemical weapons on their fellow citizens.

One particularly deadly conflict, in the Central African Republic, has received far less media coverage than conflicts elsewhere. There, Christian anti-balaka (“anti-machete”) militias have killed hundreds of Muslims, and former members of a Muslim rebel alliance that overthrew the government retaliated against Christians.