Liberia, March 28 -- By Evelyn Kpadeh Seagbeh with New Narratives

PARIS, France - An appeal court here has upheld the 2022 conviction of Kunti Kamara, a former commander of the Ulimo rebel group, for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Lofa County during Liberia's first civil war.

The court, of three judges and nine jurors, delivered the final verdict Wednesday evening following more than eight hours of deliberations. In the French judicial system the jury needed to have an innate belief in Kamara's guilt to convict. A simple majority of jurors - seven of the 12 - needed to find him guilty for conviction.

Announcing the final verdict, the presiding judge, Jean Marc Lavergne, said Kamara has five days to lodge an appeal ...