( CNN ) -- An international tribunal will issue a verdict in the war crimes trial of former Liberian President Charles Taylor next month , the United Nations said . Taylor , who led Liberia from 1997 to 2003 , was the first African ruler to appear before an international war crimes tribunal . Prosecutors allege he armed rebels and fueled a bloody civil war that led to widespread murder , rape and mutilation in Liberia and neighboring Sierra Leone . He has pleaded not guilty to charges including five counts of crimes against humanity and five counts of war crimes . The U.N-backed war crimes court said it will issue its ruling April 26 . Taylor has been on trial since 2007 at the special court for Sierra Leone in The Hague , Netherlands . United Nations officials and the Sierra Leone government jointly set up the tribunal to try those who played the biggest role in the atrocities . In 2010 , the United States said the trial faced a financial crisis and pledged to expedite a $ 4.5 million grant to the court . At the time , Washington urged the international community to donate to the court before its financial resources ran out . Closing arguments occurred last year . During the trial , the judges heard testimony from more than 100 people , including Taylor and supermodel Naomi Campbell . Campbell testified that Taylor gave her `` dirty-looking '' uncut diamonds as a gift during a dinner in South Africa . Prosecutors were hoping her testimony would tie him to so-called blood diamonds used to fund rebels during the war .
Taylor is the first African ruler to appear before an international war crimes tribunal . The former Liberian president was indicted in 2006 for his role in a brutal civil war, which killed more than 100,000 people and left millions homeless. Prosecutors allege he fueled a bloody civil war in Liberia and neighboring Sierra Leone . His trial included testimony from dozens , including supermodel Naomi Campbell .