The conflict that broke out in Nimba county, in the north, late in December 1989 slowly spread to the capital during the first half of 1990, leading a growing number of refugees to flee the country. In January, the ICRC set up a delegation in Monrovia to provide assistance within Liberia. The institution also quickly established tracing offices for Liberian refugees in neighbouring Cȏte d'Ivoire and Guinea, and later set up another tracing office in Sierra Leone. The ICRC's regional delegations also provided assistance to the National Societies of the neighbouring countries as they dealt with the influx of refugees.