Night after night for the past two weeks, Mohamed Gibril, restless with anticipation and worry, has stayed up to watch news reports from his home country of Libya.
He has witnessed a steady stream of violent scenes as rebels and forces loyal to dictator Muammar Gaddafi struggle for control of the war-torn country, each day more shocking than the next.
Image after image of places Gibril once visited, shops where he once ate, even streets he once walked, all have been thrown into sharp relief against a backdrop of gunfire — all constant reminders of the life he knew.
Gibril — a member of MSU’s Visiting International Professional Program, or VIPP — can’t believe what he’s seeing.
In scattered reports and snippets of information passed on from family members, Gibril has heard that almost no one in Libya is safe, that pro-Gaddafi forces have been killing “everybody”.
“We thought this was going to end, and you know, we thought everything was over,” Gibril said.
More than 40 Libyan students are enrolled at the university, according to the Office for International Students and Scholars.
Read the full story at The State News.
Read about Michigan State’s connections to the Gaddafi regime here.
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