Research- Daryn Stiers

Charles Taylor was the president of Liberia from 1997 to 2003. He was forced to step down due to his crimes committed to the neighboring country Sierra Leone. He was the leader that guided the rebels to take over  Sierra Leone. On May 30, 2012 Charles was sentenced to 50 years in prison. He was charged with many different things such as murder, rape, slavery, and the use of child soldiers. Taylor used horrific tactics used to murder thousands of people. The children would be on drugs and they would use them to mine for diamonds and kill people. (Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica)

"Ten years after the war ended, Sierra Leone still is struggling to rebuild. An estimated 50,000 people died, while countless others fled the country or took refuge in camps" (Marlise Simons). With that big of a loss they are having trouble to rebuild. Many believe that Taylor only did all this because he wanted power and money.

This is an image of Charles Taylor leading the rebels into Sierra Leone.

Simons, Marlise. “Charles Taylor, Liberia's Ex-Leader.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 26 Apr. 2012, www.nytimes.com/2012/04/27/world/africa/charles-taylor-liberia-sierra-leone-war-crimes-court-verdict.html.