HIGHLIGHTS
On 19 December M23 rebels requested that Kinshasa sign a formal ceasefire agreement, accusing government officials of dragging out peace talks to bolster the army's position on the ground. The government refused and peace talks have been suspended until 5 January.
A regional contingency planning meeting of Humanitarian Coordinators with United Nations and NGO humanitarian actors in Nairobi has identified drawn-out negotiations with continued flare ups and armed hostility through proxy militias as the most likely scenario for the coming weeks.
Under UNICEF-led coordination and with RRMP partners as the major actors, over 20,000 displaced families living outside of Goma have received family relief kits of essential household and personal items.