Bahrain on Tuesday banned all protests and gatherings to “ensure security is maintained", after a spate of clashes between anti-regime demonstrators and security forces in the Monarchy.

Bahrain on Tuesday banned all protests and gatherings to “ensure security is maintained", after a spate of clashes between anti-regime demonstrators and security forces in the Monarchy.

The Gulf state has been shaken by unrest since its forces in March last year crushed a month of popular protests led by members of its Shiite Muslim majority demanding greater rights and an end to what they said was discrimination against them by the Sunni royal family.

The crackdown, which drew strong criticism from international rights groups, was followed by a three-month state of emergency declared by King Hamad during which protests were also banned.

In a statement carried by the official BNA news agency, Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid bin Abdullah Al-Khalifa said the latest ban was aimed at safeguarding "civil peace".

Sheikh Rashid stressed opposition protests had been marred by "acts of sabotage" and that the demonstrators had threatened national security by calling "for the overthrow of the government".

"It was decided to stop all rallies and gatherings (to ensure)... security is maintained," the ministry statement said, warning that "any illegal rally or gathering would be tackled through legal actions against those calling for it and participants."

The Bahraini authorities had rejected an Al-Wefaq request for a rally on Sunday evening at Akar, a village near the capital Manama. However, the opposition movement then organized a demonstration, in agreement with the authorities.

Sheikh Rashid further claimed that “violations had been cited at protests organized by groups led by Al-Wefaq, which are considered as a continuation of outlawed actions committed in February and March last year."

Last week, police clashed with protesters at villages outside Manama, using buckshot to disperse them after being attacked with Molotov cocktails and iron rods.

The International Federation for Human Rights says 80 people have been killed since the beginning of protest in Bahrain on February 14, 2011.