(CNN) — An international war crimes tribunal delivers its verdict Thursday in the trial of Charles Taylor, the former Liberian president accused of arming rebels who raped, killed and mutilated civilians in neighboring Sierra Leone.

Taylor is the first African leader to appear before an international war crimes tribunal.

The former war lord has pleaded not guilty to 11 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity, and other violations of international humanitarian law.

Prosecutors say he armed rebels and fueled a bloody civil war that led to widespread murder, rape and mutilation in Liberia and Sierra Leone.

Witnesses testified about grisly violence during the conflict, including chopping off the arms of civilians, and shooting and disemboweling of pregnant women and children.

“Brave men, women and children have taken the stand against Charles Taylor,” the prosecutor’s office said in a statement. “They have included amputees, rape victims, former child soldiers, and persons enslaved, robbed, and terrorized. We are awed by their courage and grateful for their willingness to travel thousands of miles to bear witness.”

Fighters included teenagers forced to kill, rape and plunder under the influence of drugs to provoke violent behavior, witnesses said.

Prosecutors said Taylor financed the war with proceeds from the so-called “blood diamonds” used to fund rebels in conflict areas.

Taylor was president of Liberia — where he is also blamed for fueling a lengthy civil war — for six years until 2003 when heavy international pressure forced him out of office.

He 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.

Closing arguments occurred last year.

During the trial, judges heard testimony from more than 100 people, including Taylor and supermodel Naomi Campbell, whom prosecutors put on the stand in an effort to tie him to blood diamonds.

Campbell told the special tribunal that she received “dirty-looking stones” she assumed were gifts from Taylor after a dinner hosted by former South African president Nelson Mandela in 1997.

“When I was sleeping, I had a knock on my door. I opened the door and two men were there. They gave me a pouch and said, ‘A gift for you,’ ” she said. “The men didn’t introduce themselves or say anything else.”

Taylor lived in exile in Nigeria, where border guards arrested him in 2006 as he was attempting to cross into Chad amid international pressure.

If found guilty, he will serve time in a British prison.