Humanitarian rebels? Rebel governance and international humanitarian engagement

What motivates rebel groups to engage with international humanitarian actors? We argue that international humanitarian engagement with rebels will likely emerge when rebels seek domestic legitimacy vis-a-vis civilians as well as the government. Two indicators of domestic legitimacy-seeking rebels are particularly relevant. One is socially based rebel governance with civilian-connecting experiences. The other is modulated political incentives vis-a-vis the government. The case of United Nations Action Plans aimed at reducing child soldiering is the empirical domain, the lens through which we illustrate the phenomenon and process of humanitarian engagement with rebels. By tracing the engagement trajectory of three rebel groups in the Philippines, we show that rebels seeking domestic legitimacy with specific governance experiences are more likely to accept engagement with international actors than other types. Our study has implications for rebel governance, humanitarian politics, and violence-restraint in civil conflicts worldwide.