“I urge every one of you to forget the divisive past and turn towards a future of unity and hope,” said Conde at ceremonies attended by several African heads of state.

Conde promised to “scrupulously respect the provisions of the constitution, the laws, and the court decisions, to defend the constitutional institutions, the integrity of the territory and the national independence”.

The 82-year-old, who will begin his third term in office on December 21, also vowed to tackle corruption and said he planned to govern in a different fashion.

“During the last two mandates, I noticed that the poor anonymous people in villages were abandoned by ministers and senior civil servants. We need to change our practices. We are committed to fighting corruption. We want to govern differently. This means that ministers must put themselves at the service of the people and not their families.”

Story compiled with assistance from wire reports