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On several occasions between 2004 and 2012, the Ivory Coast undertook programs to “Disarmam, Demobilize and Reintegrate” (DDR) its combatants. These officially drew to a close in 2015 when the agency responsible for monitoring case files was disbanded. Six years later, however, some demobilized soldiers still see themselves as having not been integrated into civil society and complain of living in highly precarious situations. Drawing upon fieldwork carried out in various Ivory Coast cities, we follow the trajectories of these demobilized soldiers in the five years that followed the termination of the country’s DDR programs. Through an examination of their search for recognition, we consider the role played by political emotions in the effort of these men – who see themselves as having been abandoned by the state – to construct a new political identity in “post-crisis” Ivory Coast. We also consider the processes that, in some cases, contributed to their marginalization and social declassification, thereby challenging the positive, normative portrayal of DDR programs.