The appeal trial of former Sierra Leonean warlord Gibril Massaquoi commonly called Angel Gabriel accused of atrocities including human rights violations has opened in Finland.

Gibril Massaquoi was exonerated last year by a lower court after he was arrested in 2020 for war crimes such as rape, murder, etc.

Accused Warlord Mr. Massaquoi was said to be a senior commander in the Revolutionary United Front (RUF), a Sierra Leonean rebel group that also participated in Liberia’s civil war in the 90s and early 2000s.

His retrial was requested which should be moved to Liberia next month and later will proceed back to Sierra leone to ascertain if he was responsible for any of these crimes.