A United Nations-backed court convicts former Liberian president Charles Taylor of war crimes on Thursday, the first time an African head of state has been found guilty by an international tribunal.<br/> <br />Taylor, 64, was charged with 11 counts of murder, rape, conscripting child soldiers and sexual slavery during<br/> <br />intertwined wars in Liberia and Sierra Leone, during which more than 50,000 people were killed.<br/> <br />Presiding Judge Richard Lussick read out the court's decision.
