This thesis explores the relationship between rebel groups' mobilization of foreign fighters and their use of conflict-related sexual violence. Using ethnicity and geographical proximity as proxy measurements, the thesis argues that differences in the level of social embeddedness of foreign fighters affect levels of CRSV, as it becomes a strategy for inducing cooperation among the civilian population. Using a qualitative method the thesis explores the groups FDLR in the DRC, and RUF in Sierra Leone. The findings from this study lend insight into how the levels of conflict-related sexual violence displayed by different armed groups may vary depending on group-specific attributes. As such, this study suggests that rebel groups who recruit or mobilize foreign fighters with a more diverse ethnic and geographical spread should be a prioritized area of concern within the international community.