Congo army seeks insight into Islamist militants from women held captive

FILE PHOTO: Congolese army spokesperson, Captain Antony Mwalushay is seen during a Reuters interview at a military intelligence centre in Beni, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, September 13, 2023. REUTERS/Gradel Muyisa Mumbere/file photo

BENI, Democratic Republic of Congo (Reuters) - At a military intelligence centre in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, 22-year-old Mariam recounted how she lived alongside Islamist insurgents for two years after she was taken by the militants and force-marched to their camp in the rainforest.

Mariam said a Ugandan insurgent had claimed her as his wife, one of several non-Congolese militants she met during her time with the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) - an armed group that is expanding its deadly reach with funding from Islamic State, according to U.N. experts.