Paper short abstract:

This paper deals with some experiences of everyday rebel life during the war for 'bush wives' and female fighters in northern Sierra Leone. The rebels lived and operated in small pseudo-family based groups, where the labour of bush wives was in fact essential in maintaining the rebel’s 'war system'.

Paper long abstract:

During the Sierra Leone war (1991-2002), thousands of young women were abducted by the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) rebels. Some escaped after days or months while others stayed up to ten years. Most experienced rape and forced marriage, but quite a few became fighters with the very movement that had abducted them. This paper will deal with some experiences of everyday rebel life during the war for "bush wives" and female fighters, but will also discuss their ambiguous position in postwar society. For in a society where the rebels were seen as "animals" and their domain had been "the bush," rebel women were often met with fear and suspicion.