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Conflict prevention and peace-building processes are largely based on the idea that positive change can be induced through targeted interventions. Yet it is a common trap to overestimate the impact of these interventions. This contribution explores how young civilians who were militarized by the Ivorian conflict made use of one standard reinsertion instrument frequently used in post-conflict interventions, by examining the reinsertion options offered by a pilot project aimed at reintegrating ex-combatants. From the points of view of the young people who took part in the project, what were the socio-economic considerations that motivated them to participate? How did they make use of the reinsertion prospects the program offered, and how did they combine them (or not) with other income-generating activities outside the project framework? The bulk of the data is based on 200 semi-structured interviews with former low-ranking recruits. Interviews took place in Guiglo and Man, with both pro-governmental militias and rebel recruits. Additional interviews were also performed with men and women formerly enrolled in armed groups who did not receive any reinsertion support.