The ARC dataset (version 1.0) contains information on 1,426 organizations that participated in maximalist dissent in African countries from 1990 through 2015 (3,407 country-organization-years in total). ARC includes organizations that participated in violent dissent, such as rebel groups or terrorist organizations, and organizations that participated in nonviolent dissent, including political parties, trade unions, and others. The unit of observation is the country-organization-year. The ARC data include 18 variables covering organization-level features such as type, age, leadership, goals, origins, social bases, and inter-organizational alliances.