Book Review Civil Wars of Amadu Sesay’s, Child Soldiers and

The end of the cold war triggered civil wars in West Africa and beyond. These wars were, in the first instance, caused by ethnic struggles for political supremacy, economic control of natural resources, issues of unemployment, poverty, etc. An immediate byproduct of all these civil wars was the ugly phenomenon of child soldiers (a combatant below 18 years) in the annals of African history. “Civil Wars, Child Soldiers and Post-Conflict Peace Building in West Africa ” as edited by Amadu Sesay captures not only the phenomenon but their reintegration into civil society. Chapter one, „introduction ‟ by Amadu Sesay and Wale Ismail restates the collapse of central political authority in most West African countries, identifying collapse of communism and superpower withdrawal from Africa as the culprits. The Liberian (1989-2003) and Sierra Leonean (1991-2002) civil wars that ensued there caused untold consequences on sub-Saharan Africa: violation of the African Charter on the Right of the African Child, child soldier phenomenon and their atrocities, refugees resulting from internal displacement, a threatened sub-regional peace, etc (Omangi, 2007). Child soldiering is a challenge to existing moral norms and regulations that guide the conduct of modern warfare. The reintegration of child soldiers and post conflict reconstruction and peace-building are practical issues that confront war-torn countries. However, post-war conflict management expressed by the international community and sub-regional peace providers had concentrated only on the concern for child soldiers and their atrocities without an effectiv