Libyan citizens took to the streets last month to protest their nation’s government, led for 42 years by Muammar al-Gaddafi. The protesting led to a state of social unrest. Gaddafi lost control of much of the country, including the large cities of Benghazi and Misurata. These protests come just after protesting in Tunisia and Egypt, which led to the ousting of both countries’ leaders. Gaddafi’s forces mostly consist of policemen and foreign mercenaries hired from other African nations. According to Bloomberg News, Gaddafi blamed the revolution on everything from al-Qaeda to foreigners and “drugged kids.” Doctoral education student and Libyan citizen Nadia Nsir said Libya has been oppressed throughout Gaddafi’s regime.

“He controls everything in our lives,” she said. “He is not the kind of president that gives you the chance to lead a normal life with respect and ambition.” Nsir said she loves her country.

“I want my country to be free,” she said. “I want my people to be respected all over the world. I want them to be strong, to do whatever they want to do.” Since the uprising began, a number of people have died. BBC News stated 300 deaths are confirmed, though the casualties could be as high as 2,000. Nsir said she has trouble sleeping and studying out of fear her family could be harmed. Her husband and children are back home in Tripoli, the capital city where much of the fighting now takes place.

“Those mercenaries go in the streets sometimes and attack houses,” she said. “I have fear. I am worried all the time that my husband could be killed … Whenever I see those people who are killed in the streets, those are Libyan people. Those are my brothers and sisters and my kids. It’s very hard to see your people killed in the streets just because they raised their voice and want to be free.” Doctoral education student and Libyan citizen Talal Amara is from a city west of Tripoli. He said he hopes there will be no more bloodshed, but he believes Gaddafi will not give up so easily. He also said he wished the United States would not have waited so long to make a statement about the protests.

“The United States, specifically Barack Obama, could have stopped this bloodshed a long time ago,” he said. “They could have come out on the second day, because 200 people died in two days, they could have come out and said ‘You have to stop that.’ But they didn’t.” Amara said he wants WSU students to understand what is happening in Libya.

“I want them to understand the whole situation from the beginning,” he said. “It’s not just a matter of just watching the news. They need to watch the news and they need to see the people, the real people who have experienced this, their reactions and their stories. The stories I see in the media is not enough. It’s not covering the real story.”