Taylor was born in 1948 to a family of Americo-Liberians a small but traditionally powerful group descended from the freed slaves who founded the West African country of Liberia in the 19th century.

A devout Christian who studied in the United States and enjoys playing tennis, Taylor's trademark outfit was a white suit and a cane.

Jailed by the US authorities for embezzlement, Taylor escaped from his Massachusetts cell in 1985 after a year. He resurfaced in Cote d'Ivoire and launched a rebellion in 1989 to topple Liberia's then-President Samuel Doe.

The war ended in 1996 with 200,000 dead. Taylor became president after a campaign memorable for the macabre unofficial anthem: "You killed my ma, you killed my pa. I'll vote for you."

Taylor's foes rose again in 1999 and he fled into exile in Nigeria in 2003 with rebels camped in Liberia's capital Monrovia and US President George W. Bush demanding he leave.

The charges Taylor faces at a UN-backed war crimes tribunal include acts of terrorism, murder, rape, enslavement, conscripting child soldiers, sexual slavery, pillage and outrages upon personal dignity. He has pleaded not guilty.

(China Daily 06/16/2006 page7)