The start of the war-crimes trial of former Liberian president Charles Taylor is ”tentatively” set for April 2 2007, Judge Julia Sebutinde announced on Friday at a procedural hearing before the Special Court for Sierra Leone (SCSL) seated extraordinarily in The Hague.
Taylor is seen as the single most powerful figure behind a series of civil wars in Liberia and neighbouring Sierra Leone between 1989 and 2003 that left around 400 000 people dead. He faces a total of 11 charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity. — Sapa-AFP