( CNN ) -- A U.N. peacekeeper was killed in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in recent fighting , according to a statement release Sunday from the spokesperson for the Secretary-General . The Tanzanian peacekeeper was part the U.N. Organization Stabilization Mission in the unstable eastern part of the vast nation in Central Africa . The mission was joining the Congolese military in an effort to protect civilians about 25 kilometers ( 15 miles ) north of Goma , the largest city in the region , the statement said . The mission said Friday it was on `` high alert '' and monitoring the clashes between Congolese forces and M23 rebels . The U.N .mission stated that about 5,000 civilians from the town of Kibumba crossed the border into Rwanda on Friday . In the past year , clashes continued throughout the country 's eastern region with rebels temporarily occupying Goma in November , according to the U.N . The organization said in the statement Sunday that it will remain committed to `` taking all necessary actions in line with Security Council resolution 2098 ( 2013 ) to protect civilians '' in the region . The eastern part of the DRC is a mineral-rich region at the epicenter of a bloody political and ethnic conflict involving its neighbors to the east , Uganda and Rwanda . The M23 group was named for a peace deal reached on March 23 , 2009 , which it accuses the government of violating .
A Tanzanian was killed in the Democratic Republic of the Congo . The man had been shot by a member of his own tribe after he tried to steal food from their camp, police said on Thursday. The eastern region of the vast country has been a bloody battleground for years .