Maoist activists in Nepal have blocked major roads leading to the capital, Kathmandu, in the latest stage of a two-week protest against the government.

The supporters of the Communist Party of Nepal rallied on Tuesday at the main entry points of the capital, waving Maoist flags.

There were no reports of violence, but Binod Singh, the traffic police chief in Kathmandu, said highways were shut down because of the protests.

The Maoists had initially planned to shut down the nation's only international airport, but withdrew their plan following pressure from Western diplomats.

Earlier this week, hundreds of Maoists staged a sit-in protest in front of a government building in the capital.

The Maoists want the current government to resign.

The former rebels, who fought a decade-long civil war with the state before winning elections, stepped down in May 2008 after Ram Baran Yadav, the Nepalese president, overruled their attempt to sack the army chief.

Since then, the Maoists have sought a reversal of the ruling and a public apology from Yadav, a member of the rival Nepali Congress party whom they accuse of acting unconstitutionally.

The Maoists also accuse the government of opposing the integration of thousands of activists into the national army, a key component of the peace deal under which the Maoists laid down their arms three years ago.