URUMQI: Chinese state media say that the government in the restive western region of Xinjiang has declared a curfew following the violence of recent days that has killed at least 156 people and paralyzed the main city of Urumqi.

The official Xinhua News Agency said Tuesday that the curfew from 9 p.m. to 8 a.m. Wednesday was needed to "avoid further chaos," according to Wang Lequan, Communist Party boss for Xinjiang.

Xinhua said Wang had also called for avoiding confrontation between ethnic groups.

Urumqi was tense Tuesday, with protests happening in several parts of the city and both Han Chinese and Uighur groups facing off with armed police.