LILONGWE, Feb. 27 (Xinhua) -- Malawian President Lazarus Chakwera on Wednesday announced the appointment of Vitumbiko Mumba as the new minister of trade and industry, following protests against rapid price hikes.

The president has yet to name Mumba's successor as minister of labor, a position Mumba held for less than three months.

Malawi, a landlocked country, is grappling with high inflation, which rose to 28.5 percent in January, as poor weather affected agricultural production in the past two years.

The president announced the decision just a day after thousands of protesting vendors marched to parliament due to the surging prices of second-hand clothes.

Responding to questions from parliamentarians, the president said he had been informed about a cartel that sought to destabilize the country through the manipulation of prices of some strategic items.

"My resolve and my mission is to liberate suffering Malawians from the economic shackles of this cartel, come what may. And it is because of this resolve that I am appointing engineer Vitumbiko Mumba as the new minister of trade and industry," he said. Enditem

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