A former Liberian warlord, Alieu Kosiah, went on trial in Switzerland on Thursday for war crimes over alleged atrocities during the West Africa country’s civil war.

Kosiah was arrested in Switzerland in 2014 and is accused of murder, rape and other crimes.

He is the first Liberian to be convicted of war crimes committed during the civil war that killed around 250,000 people between 1989 and 2003.

According to AFP, the Kosiah's trial is being held at Switzerland's Federal Criminal Court in the southern city of Bellinzona.

He denies all charges.

The trial has been postponed repeatedly due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The initial part of the hearing is set to run until 11 December.

Kosiah's alleged victims will not travel to Switzerland testify in the case until next year. A lawyer representing four of the alleged victims, Alain Werner, called for the trial to be postponed so they could be present, or to have the hearings at least streamed live in Liberia.