Ten shots were fired at the place where Mr Samakuva was staying

Police in Kwanza Norte province opened fire at the place where he was staying, nearly killing him, Unita claims.

But the governor of the province says he has no knowledge of any assassination attempt.

Unita and the ruling Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) ended their 27-year civil war in 2002.

Around half a million people died in the conflict.

'Very serious'

At a press conference held in the Angolan capital, Luanda, on Tuesday, several Unita members criticised the MPLA party, whom they have invited for urgent talks on the matter.

Unita's president was on a five-day tour of Kwanza Norte province when the residence where he was staying came under fire on Friday night.

Ten shots were fired and three came within a metre of Mr Samakuva's room.

One of the bullets hit the foot of a 14 -year-old boy, a Unita supporter, who was sitting on a wall outside the house when the shooting began.

Alcides Sakala, a senior Unita member, described the situation as "very serious" and has accused the government of trying to play down the situation.

"I have absolutely no knowledge of this allegation that Unita is making," governor of Kwanza Norte, Henriques Junior, told the BBC.

The BBC's Lara Pawson in capital, Luanda, says the accusations and denials come at a worrying time for Angola which is recovering from civil war.

Next year, legislatives elections are due to take place for the first time in 16 years. Presidential elections are due in 2009.

Some observers say Unita claims are worryingly similar to the way tensions increased in the early 1990s.

The last and first ever multi-party elections in Angola were held in 1992, but fighting broke out again before they could be completed.

Angola's infrastructure was devastated by the lengthy war and hundreds of thousands of landmines remain scattered around the country.