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Ali Ahmida, Ph.D., professor in the Department of Political Science, was interviewed on May 16, 2016 by WBEZ, a public radio station in Chicago, for its program “World View” to discuss retired Libyan general Khalifa Hifter’s emersion from exile with the intent to lead a military assault on the city of Benghazi.

Claiming that the current Libyan government is failing its people by allowing Islamist terrorists to take control, Hifter has convinced many Libyans that he will bring order to the country. Other Libyans view him as the next Gaddafi.

Ahmida explained both views on this issue and addressed the many causes of unrest in Libya. He identified various groups as contributors to the situation: the revolutionary armed youth who fought against Libya’s old regime, members of the old regime, criminals, jihadists who came to Libya from Afghanistan and Iraq, and people who have entered Libya through its borders which have become relatively lax.

“So you have all these groups, and the number is enormous,” said Ahmida. “It used to be in 2011 [there were] around 20,000 revolutionary groups. Now we have at least 250,000 armed groups.”