The Democratic Republic of Congo and M23 rebels have not backed out of their peace process despite missing a deadline for an agreement, mediator Qatar said on Tuesday.

"Both parties are engaging very positively. We are engaging with them also... and we are committed to the process," Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed al-Ansari told a regular news briefing.

The Congolese government and M23 rebels signed a ceasefire agreement in July aimed at leading to a permanent end to the fighting that has devastated eastern DRC.

Under the terms of the deal, which followed talks in Qatar, the parties were to begin peace talks on August 8 and finalise an agreement by August 18.

'Willingness to agree'

Despite the deadline having expired, Ansari said there was still willingness to continue the process.

"Timelines are not the strong suit of mediation," he said, noting that in previous meetings and talks "the parties have shown a level of willingness to agree."

On Sunday, a Qatari official told AFP on condition of anonymity that a draft peace plan had been shared with DRC and M23 rebel group ahead of another round of talks expected to be held in Doha in the coming days.

The July deal follows an earlier, separate peace agreement between the Congolese and Rwandan governments inked in Washington.

Own ceasefire deal

M23 rebel group had insisted on seeking its own ceasefire deal with Kinshasa, saying the DRC-Rwanda deal signed in June left out issues that still needed to be addressed.

Previous ceasefire agreements for eastern DRC have collapsed and last week local and security sources confirmed fighting had broken out between the Congolese army and M23 rebels, despite the truce commitment.