FACTBOX: African warlord Charles Taylor on trial

(Reuters) - Prosecutors will call their first witnesses to the stand on Monday in the delayed trial of former Liberian President Charles Taylor, charged with orchestrating atrocities in Sierra Leone.

Taylor, once one of Africa's most feared warlords, faces charges of rape, murder, mutilation and recruitment of child soldiers at the U.N.-backed Special Court for Sierra Leone, set up to try those most responsible for the 1991-2002 conflict.

The 59-year-old has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

Here are some facts about Taylor:

* Taylor was born in January 1948 to a family of Americo-Liberians -- a small but traditionally powerful group descended from the freed slaves who founded the West African country of Liberia in the 19th century.

* A Christian who studied in the United States and enjoys playing tennis, Taylor has a trademark outfit of a white suit and a cane.

* He worked for Liberian President Samuel Doe running the General Services Agency, a position that gave him control of much of Liberia's budget. Doe accused him in 1983 of embezzling almost $1 million and he fled to the United States.

* Jailed by the U.S. authorities for embezzlement, Taylor escaped from his Massachusetts cell in 1985 after a year. He resurfaced in Ivory Coast and launched a rebellion in 1989 to topple Doe.

* The Liberian war ended in 1996 with 200,000 dead. Taylor became president after a campaign memorable for the macabre unofficial anthem: "You killed my ma, you killed my pa. I'll vote for you."