Paper short abstract:

This contribution looks at rebel governance in Côte d'Ivoire as an ephemeral formation. It argues that both insurgents and civilians in Côte d'Ivoire have perceived rebel governance as a temporary state of affairs and that this disquiet has shaped the formation itself - positively and negatively.

Paper long abstract:

This contribution addresses rebel governance in Côte d'Ivoire as an ephemeral socio-spacial formation. Ephemeral is a relative term, of course and the notion "governance" already implies that a rebel group has become more than ephemeral. It must have achieved certain qualities including relative stability and durability which has given rise to such notions as "insurgent governance" (Mampilly 2011), in the first place.

This paper will argue that both insurgents and civilians in Côte d'Ivoire perceived rebel governance as irregular and transient. This perception, shared by most Ivoirians, has shaped the formation of rebel governance itself, as well as the relationship between rebels and civilians.

Based on ethnographic research, this contribution aims at elaborating first, to what extent rebel governance was considered to be temporary by the actors involved. In a second step, I will examine how the perspective of its ephemerality shaped the formation itself.

Some of the violent actors and businessmen tried to profit as much as possible from opportunities arising in this phase of uncertainty. On the other hand, the fact that rebel governance was perceived as something ephemeral eased conflicts between civilians and combatants. As the first post-conflict elections were postponed over and over, the population and some of the combatants, too, began to feel even more tense. Many wanted to move on with their lives. The candidate the rebels supported is in office now, but rebel governance has yet to be dismantled.