The war in Sierra Leone began in 1991 and ended in 2002. Analysts remain divided on the question of its cause, particularly on the issue of the motivations of the rebel Revolutionary United Front (RUF), the armed group which started the hostilities. From its entry into Sierra Leone to date; the RUF has been the subject of much debate and criticism, both on its organization and its methods of waging war. By asking questions relating to the organizational capacity of the RUF, this study aims to contextualize the central arguments often associated with civil wars of the Sierra Leonean kind: they insist on the absence of meaning; these conflicts illustrate a situation of chaos and/or are devoid of political reflections. They are also the consequence of the absence or failure of a State. This present study continues these discussions in relation to the RUF, by demonstrating that this guerilla force was not as disorganized as often portrayed, despite increased media coverage on its use of violence. The RUF was not a group of murderous diamond thieves but also quite structured with a clear hierarchical logic or ideology. Through this internal organisation, it set up structures to establish governor/governed relations with urban populations under its control. The rebel force thus established a system to manage these local communities. Such considerations changed the nature of the armed group in the areas under its control, where it established a civil "administrative unit", far from being efficient but identifiable as such. By juxtaposing the complex interactions of daily governance, the thesis highlights the governance practices of the RUF and the aspects that characterise "normal" life in these " war torn " towns. It analyzes the variables of the relationship between members of the rebel movement occupying these towns and the local population. Once a town is conquered, the rebels are forced to do something there, an "administrative system" establishing an order of coexistence in the whole area is imposed. The study therefore analyzes the tools of civil governance, mobilized in time of war. During this study, several field research trips to Sierra Leone, were conducted. These trips have allowed the realization of several interviews, individual and collective. They support the general ideas presented in this thesis.
