Prince Johnson, a former Liberian warlord and key figure in the country’s civil wars (1989–2003), died on Thursday at the age of 72. His death was confirmed by officials from his party and the Senate.

“Senator Johnson was the longest-serving senator,” said Siaffa Jallah, deputy director of press at the Senate.

Wilfred Bangura, a senior official in Johnson’s Movement for Democracy and Reconstruction party, also confirmed the news: “Yes, we lost him this morning. He passed away at Hope for Women (health centre).”

Johnson gained notoriety for his role in the brutal 1990 killing of then-President Samuel Doe, an event that marked a gruesome chapter in Liberia’s history and contributed to the two civil wars that claimed about 250,000 lives and devastated the economy.

Hailing from Nimba in northern Liberia, Johnson later reinvented himself as an evangelical preacher, enjoying considerable popularity. However, he remained a staunch opponent of efforts to establish a tribunal for crimes committed during the civil wars.