Malian President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita on Tuesday pledged to address deteriorating security caused by an Islamist insurgency and inter-ethnic clashes.
Keita made the remarks in his inaugural speech after he was sworn in for second five-year term.
“I chose to place the re-establishment of peace and security at an absolute level of priority,” he said.
Hundreds of supporters and local politicians attended the ceremony in the capital, Bamako.
President Keita was declared winner of last month’s election with a landslide, but the opposition claimed the vote was rigged to favour the incumbent.
“This election is not the victory of one Malian against another, it is the victory of all of Mali,” Keita, 73, told the audience.
The security situation in Mali has deteriorated in recent months, and even during the election, more than 500 polling stations remained closed for fear of attacks.
Le nouveau Président de la République SEM Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta a prêté serment devant la Cour suprême du #Mali ce mardi 04 septembre 2018. Le Chef de l’Etat est officiellement installé dans ses fonctions pour 5 ans pic.twitter.com/gYy9xSqbbp
— Presidence Mali (@PresidenceMali) September 4, 2018
