Charles Taylor

Charles Taylor, 64, the former leader of Liberia, convicted war criminal and American college student, will very likely spend the rest of his natural life in prison as punishment for the role he played in the violent crimes during the Sierra Leone civil war.

A special court for the United Nations Thursday announced that its judges had found CHarles Taylor, the former president of the West African nation of Liberia, guilty of aiding and abetting war crimes during Sierra Leone’s civil war. The verdict is the penultimate moment of a five-year trial, with sentencing scheduled for May.

Charles Taylor, the one-time president of Liberia who insists he had close ties to the U.S. intelligence services, will find out this week whether he will spend the rest of his life in prison. Taylor is accused of financing and arming rebels in neighboring Sierra Leone, encouraging and abetting their war atrocities.

Two Liberian women shared this year’s Nobel Peace Prize with a woman from Yemen. The news provoked celebrations and pride in many parts of Liberia, though not everyone is happy.

A United Nations-backed court has found Charles Taylor guilty of crimes against humanity in Sierra Leone. In Liberia, the reaction is complicated. Many still revere Taylor; others are upset that he hasn’t been charged with Liberian crimes.