KATHMANDU, Dec 25: More than 15,000 Nepalese took part in a peace rally on Saturday in Kathmandu as the death toll from the country's nine-year-old Maoist conflict reached 11,000.

Human rights groups say the conflict between the government and Maoists was the most violent in Asia with a daily toll of eight.

The Maoist rebels launched the "people's war" in 1996 to overthrow Nepal's constitutional monarchy.

They say that their violent movement against the state will continue until the government convenes a constituent assembly to draft a new constitution.

The Maoists have blockaded the capital since Thursday. -Reuters