A draft agreement to end fighting between the Democratic Republic of Congo's army and M23 has been shared with the government in Kinshasa and the rebel group, a Qatari official with knowledge of the negotiations said on Sunday.

The official involved in mediation efforts announced the "preparation and sharing of a draft peace agreement with both parties as part of the ongoing Doha process", with Doha set to host "an important round of negotiations" soon.

The Congolese government and the M23 signed a declaration of principles on July 19 in Qatar, aiming to ink a peace deal by August 18.

The Qatari official said that timeline had not been met but "both parties have responded positively to the facilitator and expressed a willingness to continue negotiations."

Capture of major cities in eastern DRC

"We recognise the challenges on the ground and hope they can be overcome promptly through dialogue and genuine commitment," the official added.

Since taking up arms again at the end of 2021, M23 rebels have seized swathes of land in eastern DRC, triggering a spiralling humanitarian crisis.

A fresh surge of unrest broke out early this year when M23 rebels captured the key cities of Goma and Bukavu, setting up their own administrations.