The mission was conducted from 26 June to 5 July 2003. It left New York on 26 June and visited Guinea-Bissau (27 and 28 June), Nigeria (28 and 29 June), Ghana (29 and 30 June) and Côte d’Ivoire (30 June- 2 July). The mission was scheduled to visit Liberia on 2 July. However, because of the conflict in the country at that time, the mission travelled instead to Accra, where the parties to the Liberian peace talks led by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) were gathered. The mission then visited Guinea (2 and 3 July) and Sierra Leone (3 and 4 July).