Liberia's former president Charles Taylor, once one of Africa's most feared warlords, arrived in the The Hague for his long-awaited war crimes trial for some of the worst atrocities committed in Africa.

Taylor landed in the Netherlands at 7:14 pm (1714 GMT) and was led from the airplane with his hands tied into vans waiting to take him to a detention centre in The Hague around 20 kilometres (12 miles) away, where he arrived some 30 minutes later.

Former Liberian President Charles Taylor (C) arrives at Rotterdam Airport, for his war crimes trial before the Special Court of Sierra Leone which is to be held at The Hague in the Netherlands for security reasons. [AFP]

The 58-year old warlord-turned-president will eventually be tried by a branch of the Sierra Leone tribunal using the premises of the International Criminal Court in The Hague.

He is being held in the same detention centre that housed former Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic who died here in March while on trial for war crimes, charged before the UN court for the former Yugoslavia.

It is not clear what will happen next but an ICC spokesman told AFP the Sierra Leone court will hold a press conference Wednesday at 11:30 am (0930 GMT) in The Hague "explaining the procedures that will follow".

Earlier Tuesday Taylor was moved under tight security from his cell in Freetown Sierra Leone to Lungi international airport, from where the UN-chartered jet took him to the Netherlands.

Airport workers who saw Taylor escorted to the aircraft at Lungi airport said the handcuffed former warlord was wearing a dark brown suit and appeared "sombre".

Taylor had been detained in Freetown since late March after his capture in Nigeria where he had been living in exile since August 2003.

He has been indicted on charges of crimes against humanity, war crimes and violations of international human rights.

Specifically, he is accused of sponsoring and aiding rebel groups which perpetrated murder, sexual slavery, mutilation and conscription of child soldiers in Sierra Leone's civil war in exchange for a share in the lucrative diamond trade. In his first appearance before the court Taylor pleaded innocent to all charges.

He is seen as the single most powerful figure behind a series of civil wars in Liberia and neighbouring Sierra Leone between 1989 and 2003 which left around 400,000 people dead.

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