Mozambique’s new president vows ‘unity’ as sworn in amid deadly protests

Mozambique’s new president Daniel Chapo vowed to unite the country upon taking the oath of office under heavy guard yesterday, as seven more protesters were killed, a local NGO said, in fresh political unrest.Chapo, 48, who was previously a little-known provincial governor, extends his Frelimo party’s 50-year rule of the gas-rich African nation after October’s contested election.Supporters of opposition candidate Venancio Mondlane, who insists he won the vote, have protested for months, sometimes drawing a violent police response.Demonstrations yesterday in the capital Maputo and the city of Nampula turned deadly with seven people killed, according to local NGO Plataforma Decida.A police spokesperson declined to comment on the unrest, telling AFP: ”We still have nothing to say about today’s events.” As he was sworn in, Chapo vowed "to devote all my energies to defending, promoting and consolidating national unity, human rights, democracy and the well-being of the Mozambican people”.With the sound of helicopters overhead, Chapo said during his inaugural speech that political dialogue was already under way and that "social harmony could not wait”."We won’t rest until we have a united and cohesive country on the road to building well-being for all of us,” he said."It won’t be an easy journey, but we have to have full confidence in the strength of the Mozambican people, of our national unity.” His vow came after Mondlane threatened on the eve of the inauguration to "paralyse” the new government with daily demonstrations.Mondlane, 50, who is popular with the youth, accuses the Frelimo party of rigging the election. Frelimo has governed Mozambique since independence from Portugal in 1975."This regime does not want peace,” Mondlane said in an address on Facebook Tuesday, adding that his communications team was met with bullets on the streets this week."We’ll protest every single day. If it means paralysing the country for the entire term, we will paralyse it for the entire term.” International observers have said the election was marred by irregularities. The EU mission condemned what it called the "unjustified alteration of election results”.Neighbouring South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa attended the inauguration, while Portugal sent Foreign Minister Paulo Rangel.