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PRESS TV

At least two United Nations workers and several civilians have been killed in an unprecedented militant attack in the Democratic Republic of Congo's restive northwest.

According to UN officials on Sunday, clashes erupted after some 30 heavily armed fighters attacked the governor's residence in Congo's northern Equateur province capital of Mbandaka.

The gunmen then took over the airport in a surprise assault on Congolese and UN forces, killing a Ghanian peacekeeper and another UN employee.

UN and government forces have now launched an operation to re-take the airport.

It is not yet clear which armed group was behind the attack.

Madnodje Mounoubai, a spokesman for the UN mission in DR Congo, however, told Reuters that the attacks are not related to the conflict between UN-backed forces and rebels in the East of the country.

He added that he thinks the fighters were from the Enyele group, a sub-tribe of the Lobala that took up arms six months ago over fishing rights.

Congo's Equateur province has ever since been rocked by deadly ethnic clashes between the Lobala and Boba tribesmen, forcing 200,000 people from their homes.

The attack comes as Congo entered talks with the UN on the withdrawal of its 20,500-strong peacekeeping mission, MONUC by next year.

MONUC's mandate expires in May.

Experts believe the new fighting might put the withdrawal of the biggest UN operation in the world into question.