Residents in two Bahrain villages have reportedly become prisoners in their own homes as a result of growing gang-style violence.

People in Dar Kulaib and Shahrakan say they are too afraid to go out after 9pm for fear of being caught up in clashes.

Bahraini Ali Al Laith, who lives in Dar Kulaib, said there used to be peaceful protests in villages, but in the past three weeks gangs from both areas had been attacking homes and vandalising property.

"We don't feel secure, me, my wife and daughters saw them harassing many people with steel and wooden bars, shouting and making noise," he said.

"They attack this area and now we are very scared and people are very frightened, we want police to stop these men. We live in Bahrain, we are not animals, we are brothers and sisters. The Interior Minister met residents and said they will put wire mesh between Hamad Town and Dar Kulaib but we don't want that, we refused because many of us are relatives."

Al Laith said villagers want police to take the clashes more seriously by arresting the perpetrators.

He said residents had submitted video and photographic evidence to the Interior Minister showing police had just stood around when people were breaking the law.

"They were throwing Molotov cocktails and police were just looking at them," claimed the father-of-six.

"We don't want to reach a point where we have to protect ourselves. We are in a very modern country and the government should do this."

Al Laith said the attacks were another burden on villagers who were suffering because they needed government homes. He claimed some had been waiting for up to 30 years and now believed homes promised to them were going to members of the military.

Bahrain Transparency Society president Abdulnabi Al Ekri was also aware of photographs and video clips showing the police standing by while people went on the rampage in Dar Kulaib.

He called on security forces to take action by arresting those guilty of vandalism and violence in villages.

"Shi'ite villages are being targeted and it's very bad for the state," said Al Ekri. "Some say it's the BDF and other say security forces are behind this. Until now no one has been arrested."

Northern Governorate MP Khalid Abdul Ali Abdulaal said the only way to solve problems in the area was more reforms and the election of a new government.

He said people in his area had been protesting for several months, with their top priority being government housing.

Abdulaal said residents had been promised government housing before the unrest, but rumours were circulating that they would go to people living in other areas.

"The system needs to be changed, the solution is not setting up all these committees, there needs to be a political decision taken by the King and it has to be done immediately," he said.

"The only solution for these people to stop protesting is for the government to resign, bring a new government and new reforms. I'm afraid we will reach a civil war, everyday it is getting worse.

Meanwhile, Interior Minister Lieutenant-General Shaikh Rashid bin Abdulla Al Khalifa pledged to restore security and encouraged people to supervise their children's behaviour and prevent them from taking part in illegal activities.

He also denied allegations that the security forces employed militia, when he met residents in Dar Kulaib and Shahrakan last week. – TradeArabia News Service