Academics uneasy with widespread popular images of post‐independence civil wars in Africa as barbaric and primeval have been prompted to search for ways of explaining the conduct of these wars which would make them appear more rational. However, carrying out the type of in‐depth research necessary to understand the rationality of each case is not easy, given the security and political constraints posed by conflict situations. Mozambique's civil war was no exception. Fieldwork during the war itself was confined to government‐held areas, and any Renamo guerrillas interviewed were those who had been captured or amnestied by the Frelimo government. This article gives evidence collected in the post‐war period from former guerrillas, which challenges much of what was said about the motivations and attitudes of young men participating in Renamo's guerrilla army. Former combatants' own portrayals are revealed to be very different from previous academic accounts which highlighted brutalization, social promotion, absence of political ideology and the ritualization of violence. The article contributes to historical revision of the war in Mozambique, but the evidence is also of potential significance for understanding processes of post‐war integration of former combatants into civilian life.