Book Review: <i>International Statebuilding in West Africa: Civil Wars and New Humanitarianism in Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Côte d'Ivoire</i> by Abu Bakarr Bah and Nikolas Emmanuel BahAbu Bakarr and EmmanuelNikolas (2024), International Statebuildin

The building of functional states in Africa remains a challenge, this we know. The continent has experienced numerous civil wars in the post-colonial era, often driven by societal divisions and ethnic grievances. However, Bah and Emmanuel argue that these civil conflicts are not the fundamental issues facing the African state but rather symptoms of a deeper problem of statehood.