General Butt Naked's humanitarian rebirth tests Liberia's forgiveness

Evangelist and ex-combatant Joshua Milton Blahyi prays in a church in his hometown of Grand Gedeh, Liberia, July 3, 2016.Picture taken July 3, 2016. REUTERS/Thierry Gouegnon

MONROVIA (Reuters) - Everyone likes a good redemption story, and there are few more remarkable than that of notorious Liberian warlord "General Butt Naked", who repented of his atrocities and became a preacher.

The "general", who earned his nom de guerre from fighting street battles naked during Liberia's 14-year civil war, killed or mutilated thousands of people - sometimes by his own hand, other times using his army of mostly child soldiers.