One contributor asked about a war and running away from a war ...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Libyan_Ci ... 93present) - read this and try to make sense of it

1. Local media had told us that Libya Dawn forces were getting closer to Tripoli.
2. At about three one morning, in mid-July 1914, there were four almighty crashes - like the noise of a car smash magnified fifty times.
These turned out to be incoming 'Grad' (="city") surface to surface missiles clumsily fired in the wrong direction.
To those living on the 7th floor of a 12-storey building, this was disquieting news (as may be imagined.)
One of the rickets killed three hapless Egyptians sleeping in a shack on a building site.
3. As Tripoli came to life, the traffic was sparse and what little there was on the roads seemed to be in a great hurry.
4. The crossroads nearest to the Salahuddin cluster of apartment buildings was well-guarded by militia units with
AA guns and very heavy machine guns mounted on their vehicles (the majestic Toyota Tundra being the most desirable
and invariably crewed by men with flamboyant camouflage uniforms)
5. The police college was all but deserted. The Ethiopian cleaners were mopping and sweeping but few others were around.
The offices and canteens were locked and deserted.
6. A local phone call elicited the advice to stock up on food, gas and water and stay home. Sound advice for those at ground level
but the vulnerability of a tall tower was glaringly obvious.
7. E-mails to Hove (next door to Brighton) told us to stay put and await developments. We did.
8. Flour supplies to the bakery were intermittent, as was the supply of bottled gas. One queued in Renaissance candlelight
with the distant baroque thump of artillery and the irritable chatter of MG fire 7 kilometres down the road. A maximum of
four loaves to a customer. Women and children went straight to the front of the queue and were served first.
9. A gasoline tank farm a kilometre away was hit and the firemen were adamant in their refusal to do anything unless there was
local cease-fire. This was not forthcoming and a pillar of black smoke three kilometres high rose into the air.
10. Further phone calls elicited the advice that there was no point going to work.
11. Hove told us to pack and be ready to leave at 6 hours' notice.
12. An unmarked police velicle conveyed us to Ajaylat, where we met 3 colleagues and stayed the night.
13. The following day, we - in another police vehicle - crossed the border to Tunisia, passing literally thousands of black Africans,
Pakistanis, Bengalis and Filipinos/Filipinas awaiting the work to cross.

FROM THE FIRST TO THE LAST WAS A MERE 17 DAYS.

CORRECTION

The last sentence should have read:

" ... awaiting the word to cross."

HERE is a timeline:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_ ... 93present)