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Why do civilians comply with a rebel group? When rebel groups hold military control over a geographical territory, they have to decide on how to interact with the civilian population in that territory. The rebels can become predatory, they can try to recruit civilians, ignore them, or govern them. This dissertation focuses on instances in which rebels govern, ranging from minimal regulation and informal taxation, to the creation of bureaucracies, police offices, courts, schools, and health clinics. More specifically, it investigates how rebel governance affects civilian compliance. Two cases of rebel governance have been studied in-depth: the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in Sri Lanka and the Taliban insurgency in Afghanistan. This dissertation adds new insights to the existing literature on civil wars and rebel governance, with a focus on: rebel symbolism; rebel legitimation and civilian compliance; longitudinal perspectives on rebel governance and legitimacy; and the relation between contentious politics and rebel governance. The findings are based on historical and social qualitative research, which included eight months of field research in Sri Lanka and Afghanistan. The data collection and analysis combined forms of document research, interviews, and observations. The study carries policy and societal relevance by revealing parts of the social and political life in rebel-held zones that had remained less visible or hidden for the public and policy-makers.