Protection from afar? Diaspora support for rebel groups and civilian victimization

Abstract How does diaspora sponsorship of rebel organizations impact civilian victimization? This article argues that diasporas have an affinity for their kin and therefore, an interest in civilian protection. By applying a principal–agent framework to understand diaspora sponsorship to rebel organizations, it highlights how a diaspora, acting as a principal, can reduce violence against civilians perpetrated by a rebel organization, the agent. While rebel organizations may utilize civilian victimization, this article hypothesizes that they restrain violence because of diaspora sponsorship. The article draws on novel data on diaspora support, coupled with data on civilian victimization in the context of armed conflicts in Africa and Asia from 1989 to 2014. The findings demonstrate a statistically significant negative effect of diaspora sponsorship on rebel groups’ violence against civilians. Homeland-related factors reveal heterogeneous effects of diaspora sponsorship on one-sided violence. The article generates an in-depth understanding of a diaspora’s agency as a non-state sponsor for rebel organizations and contributes to the scholarship on civilian victimization during armed conflicts and external sponsorship. It offers avenues for understanding the role of diaspora groups as sponsors.