Why do victorious rebels discard key aspects of rebel modes of governance when they create a new state through secession? This article demonstrates how rebel governance by the Eritrean People’s Liberation Front left contradicting legacies in post-independent Eritrea. During war, the EPLF promised democracy, but the organisation was authoritarian at the top. Post-independence, the fairness of wartime practices was viewed differently, leading to pressure on the new government to fulfil its democratic promise. The leadership did not give in, however. It jettisoned its earlier commitment to democracy to protect its grip on power under the new condition of independent statehood.