Protesters and security forces have clashed in Swaziland during a week of planned rallies against longtime ruler King Mswati.

In the capital Mbabane Wednesday, police fired tear gas and beat demonstrating university students who had pelted the officers with stones.

In the eastern town of Siteke, clashes broke out between police and people who had come to hear leaders of the Congress of South African Trade Unions .

Officials of the Swaziland National Association of Teachers said the trouble in Siteke began when police prevented union leaders from speaking to the crowds.

King Mswati has ruled the southern African nation of 1.2 million people since 1986 as sub-Saharan Africa's last absolute monarch.

Many Swazis have criticized the king's expensive lifestyle, which includes 13 wives, at a time the tiny country is going through tough economic times.

Activists are also demanding political reforms, especially an end to the ban on political parties.