Sorry for the Things We Did When We Rebelled: Why Do Rebel Groups Apologize?

Abstract

Since 1989, nine rebel groups have apologized after civil wars; despite the prevalence of literature on public apologies by states, apologies by non-state actors have not been studied. Why do rebel groups apologize? This paper answers the question by contributing to gaps in the literature on public apologies, non-state actor behavior following civil war, and transitional justice. It introduces a new dataset on rebel group apologies from 1989-2010 and uses a mixed-method approach of a large-n study and two paired comparisons to examine new explanations for rebel group apologies. It finds that post-conflict roles and context offer explanations for why rebel groups apologize; rebel groups that transition to political groups apologize in order to appeal to the electorate and rebel groups apologize in response to incentives and conditions created by truth commissions. This paper also suggests further areas for research based on the findings as well as practical and policy implications.