Nigeria, Feb. 1 -- Finland's Court of Appeal has affirmed a lower court's acquittal of Gibril Massaquoi, an ex-commander of Sierra Leone's Revolutionary United Front (RUF), who was prosecuted for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Liberia's second civil war between 1999-2003, ending a marathon judicial process that began in 2021.

The court said it agreed with the judgment of the District Court of Pirkanma more than a year ago, that prosecutors did not prove that is was Mr Massaquoi who committed the crimes in the indictment, including murders, rape, torture, and recruitment of child soldiers "beyond a reasonable doubt."

"The Court of Appeal, like the District Court, found that it was not proven that Mr. Massaquoi was guilty of an...