Warlord Taylor in hands of tribunal

Liberia’s one-time warlord Charles Taylor was in the hands of Sierra Leone’s tribunal today, where he is set to become the first-ever African head of state tried on war crimes charges by an international court.

Taylor has been indicted by the UN-backed tribunal on 11 counts of crimes against humanity stemming from his support for brutal rebels in Sierra Leone. His arrival in handcuffs at the court yesterday represented a watershed moment for West Africa, a region long shaken by Taylor’s warmaking.