Rebel violence flares in Nepal

At least 27 people are said to have been killed as Maoist insurgents escalated their campaign in Nepal.

A weekend of clashes have left 90 people dead, marking a bloody return to violence after a nine-day ceasefire collapsed last week.

Fifteen rebels and 12 police died following an attack on a police training centre on Sunday, according to the authorities.

On Saturday, at least 50 rebels were killed after they attacked a police outpost in Banke district.

Smaller clashes elsewhere in the country killed 13 rebels over the weekend, Nepal's defence ministry said.

Overnight attack

Police say 12 policemen were ambushed and killed by the rebels after an attempt to capture the police camp in Dang, western Nepal,

Fifteen rebels were also killed in the encounter, according to police.

A ceasefire broke down in August

Earlier, several hundred rebels had surrounded the training centre and attacked it with guns and bombs.

The police said the rebels fled after failing to overrun the centre.

"Reinforcements along with helicopters equipped with night-vision came in time and helped to disperse the rebels," the AFP news agency quoted an unnamed official as saying.

Scores dead

The clashes occurred two days after the police repulsed a heavy rebel attack on an armed police camp in the neighbouring district of Banke, in which at least 50 rebels were confirmed dead.

The authorities said that two policemen had died as well.

There has been no comment yet from the rebels who in the past have accused the government of exaggerating rebel losses while hiding their own setbacks.

Independent confirmation of the rival claims is difficult to obtain.

Violence has escalated since the breakdown of a seven-month peace process in late August.

Eight thousand people have died over the past eight years of Maoist insurrection which is aimed at replacing the monarchy with a communist republic.