Congolese government forces backed by UN troops recaptured a provincial airport from rebels on Monday after heavy fighting in which three UN workers and several soldiers and police officers were killed, officials said.

Sunday's surprise attack on Mbandaka, capital of northern Equateur province, was part of a spreading insurgency that began over fishing rights and illustrated the central African nation's continued dependence on peacekeepers who are expected to start withdrawing in June.

"We have taken back control of the airport. It is now in our hands," General Janvier Mayanga told Reuters by telephone from Mbandaka. "Several soldiers and police have been killed," he said, without giving details.

Three UN personnel, including a Ghanaian peacekeeper and a South African pilot, were killed in the fighting, as well as four government soldiers, two police officers and nine rebels, according to a statement issued by the prime minister's office.

Enyele rebels, who are from the remote north and are not linked to higher-profile rebel conflicts in the east, attacked the town on Sunday and seized the airport where the world's largest U.N. mission has aircraft stationed.

Mayanga said the rebels, who mounted a series of ambushes around the airport, fled into the surrounding forest and the army pursued them. Peacekeepers from the U.N. mission, known as MONUC, took part in the counter-attack, he said.

The UN mission, which has grown into the largest U.N. peacekeeping force in the world, has been central to efforts to pacify Congo since a 1998-2003 war in which millions of people were killed.

The mission is under government pressure to begin withdrawing in June when the vast state celebrates 50 years of independence from Belgian colonial rule, and to leave completely by 2011 when elections are due.

Human rights groups have said MONUC's withdrawal could spell disaster for civilians caught up in the conflicts.

The violence may also discourage foreign investment in a country that depends heavily on mining revenue and is trying to persuade foreign oil majors to develop its oil reserves.