Maputo — Tensions are running high in Mozambique, on the second day of riots caused by soaring food prices.

The government has deployed troops to clear barricades in the capital, as angry protesters blocked roads and looted shops earlier today.

The cabinet held an emergency session and appealed for calm.

So far seven people have been killed and 280 injured in the protests, which broke out Wednesday when a 30 per cent rise in bread prices came into effect.

Mozambique's government has said the price increases are irreversible.

Correspondent Orfeo Lisboa in Maputo told RFI that police in the capital were "positioned in the main spots with orders to shoot."

Demonstrators said they would continue with the protests anyway.

Martin Rupiya, executive director of the African Public Policy and Research Institute in Pretoria, South Africa told RFI that the Mozambican government was in a tough spot.

"The basic problem is that a number of the things the people have been complaining about - fuel, bread, electricity and water, are subsidised by the government...it is unaffordable for the government to continue providing subsidies without paying attention to investing in infrastructure and other amenities."

While "surviving on food aid," Rupiya said the government was struggling to provide employment and a higher standard of living for its 22.9 million people. Although the tourism and mineral extraction industries have shown some potential, Rupiya said the Mozambican government's challenge was "how do you create a viable economy without upsetting the balance? This has resulted in the riots."