Southern Sudanese leader Salva Kiir vowed to work towards the unity of Sudan as he was sworn in as first vice president on Thursday, following the death of his predecessor John Garang in a helicopter crash last week.
The sombre ceremony, half a eulogy to Garang, half a celebration of Kiir's arrival, took place at the Presidential palace in Khartoum in front of officials from the government and the former rebel Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM).
Soldiers and military vehicles swarmed the capital, and there was no repeat of the scenes of jubilation that accompanied Garang's return to take up the same post just over a month ago.
While pictures of Kiir and President Omar Hassan al-Bashir decorated the grounds, pride of place was reserved for a huge photograph of Garang signing the January peace deal with Bashir which led to his joining the government for a mere three weeks before his death.
"Garang is not dead, for he who lives on in the hearts and minds of millions shall never die," Kiir said.
The January deal ended Africa's longest civil war and envisages a new coalition government, wealth sharing, democratic transformation and a southern referendum on secession from the north in six years.
Kiir, 54, took his oath and swore allegiance to the nation and to uphold the new constitution.
He admonished "prophets of doom" in the media who had said he preferred secession to unity.
"From its inception the SPLM leaders, of which I remain the only survivor, have fought for unity," he said.