Ali Bongo was sworn back in as Gabon’s president yesterday, calling for unity after a disputed election win that sparked deadly unrest and revealed deep divisions in the oil-rich country.
The 57-year-old used the ceremony to appeal for unity after the deadly violence that followed the announcement of his victory last month.
He pledged to ensure “equal opportunities” for all in the new government “which I will name in a few days.”
Government spokesman Alain-Claude Bilie-By-Nze said Bongo wanted to install “a unity government by this week or the start of next week”.Cannons were fired during the ceremony in the seafront presidential palace in Libreville, as fears of fresh violence resurfaced.
“I pledge to devote all my efforts for the good of the Gabonese people and to ensure their well-being... and respect and defend the constitution and the rule of law,” he said during the event.
A handful of African leaders attended including the presidents of Mali, Niger, Togo and Sao Tome, as well as the prime ministers of Chad, Senegal, the Central African Republic and Morocco. 
But most regional heavyweights stayed away.
Bongo’s second mandate has received a cool reception from the African Union and the United Nations, while the European Union voiced regret that the count had not been transparent.
But Bongo said yesterday that the “democratic process has been recognised by everybody, including foreign observers”.