A judge from the tiny Samoan archipelago made history last week by declaring that Charles Taylor, the deposed president of the West African state of Liberia was guilty of “aiding and abetting” the multiple atrocities committed by a rebel force in neighbouring Sierra Leone – nine years after being indicted by a United Nations Special Court. The judges unanimously ruled that Mr Taylor knowingly assisted the commission of these crimes by providing a continuous flow of arms, ammunitions, logistical and other forms of support to the main rebel group (Revolutionary United Front) in exchange for diamonds.