In pictures: Reliving rebel life

The situation in northern Democratic Republic of Congo where rebels from the Lord's Resistance Army are operating is getting worse, the medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres says.

Hundreds of thousands of people are fleeing renewed attacks by the rebels, reknowned for carrying out mutilations, kidnappings and rapes. Pierrette was abducted by armed men and held captive for two months.

Pierrette does not know her exact age, but she shyly suggests "around 15". She became what is known as a forced wife. "We walked a lot during the day. I slept with a man at night. It was always the same one."

"These men killed people next to me. I was scared, but we weren't allowed to cry. If we cried, they hit us on the back," Pierrette recalls. Scars criss-cross her back and feet. "I try not to think about it all anymore," she says.

Louis, 54, weeps while inspecting his 16-year-old son's frail body. Antoine returned home after spending four months in captivity with the rebels. "My child. Thank God. It's so good to see you. Thank God," Louis cries.

Antoine explains: "They applied a magic oil to our foreheads, over our hearts and on our backs and feet. This oil makes you like them, and you no longer think about escaping and finding your family. It didn't work for me because I wiped it straight off."

"They gave me work to do. I had to clean their clothes and do other jobs during the day. We weren't allowed to talk. They hit us a lot. We only ate in the evenings. And we walked all day. Every day. I was barefoot."

Thirteen-year-old Michel needs time to readjust to life in the community. Rebels forced him to cut up a man with a machete. Remembering, he says: "My heart was beating so fast. They told me to chop him up and if I didn't do it they would kill me too."

Michel is staying at a centre for child survivors. He receives psychological support and spends his days with other children who were also once abducted. He painted this picture to illustrate his time away in the bush.

The armies of Uganda, southern Sudan and DR Congo have been carrying out offensives against the LRA rebels since their leader, Joseph Kony refused to sign a peace deal late last year.