Three days of rioting in western and eastern Sudan have reportedly left one person dead and scores of others hurt, with the opposition threatening more anti-government protests.

Press reports reaching Khartoum Friday said a student was killed Wednesday in the anti-government demonstrations in el Fashir, capital of the North Darfur State.

Government schoolteachers' protest over delayed salaries was said to have triggered the incident.

Pupils at state-run schools were said to have joined in the protest, attacking government buildings, vehicles and private properties, after they discovered that their peers in private schools were continuing with studies.

The reports said a female student, Rasha Abdallah, died in the rioting, while 11 people were hurt. The town's radio station was also destroyed.

A government statement accused the opposition People's Congress of Hassan el Turabi, the dismissed speaker of the country's dissolved parliament, of being behind the riots.

"Leaderships in the North Darfur State legislative council, known for their loyalty to the People's Congress, have instigated the riots," the statement said.

The daily newspaper, el Ayyam, also reported separate student riots Wednesday and Thursday at Port Sudan, the country's major Red Sea port. The students were said to be protesting against alleged high school fees and lack of text books.

The demonstrators reportedly stormed the streets of port city shouting anti-government slogans. They pulled down telephone cables, while government buildings and cars were set ablaze, forcing traders to close shops for fear of being attacked, the reports said.

Police were said to have used tear gas and batons to disperse the demonstrators, with no casualty reported in the Port Sudan riot.

Red Sea State Governor Majzoub Abu Ali was quoted as saying that "a number of people found to have instigated the rioting" were under arrest and would be put on trial immediately. He also accused the People's Congress of being behind the demonstrations.

But Turabi said in Khartoum that "the political climate is ripe for security tensions and demonstrations."

He told reporters in front of his party premises Thursday night that "the government is ignoring the rights of teachers and taking money from the pupils." He denounced the rising cost of living in Sudan and alleged recruitment of young men for compulsory military service.

"Angry people would not be afraid to express their anger," said Turabi, a veteran leader of the Sudanese Islamists, considered the previous power base of the government of President Omar Bashir.

After he fell out of favour with him, Bashir dissolved the parliament, chaired by Turabi, and froze the politician's powers as general secretary of the ruling National Congress. Turabi has since formed his own political party, the People's Congress, and vowed to wrest power from Bashir.