Just as in Britain’s coalition government, tensions between the two rival camps within Zanzibar’s government of national unity (GNU) can boil over from time to time. In Zanzibar it happened when First Vice President Seif Shariff Hamad publicly accused Zanzibar President Ali Mohammed Shein of not curbing alleged excesses of the security apparatus.

Addressing a public rally at Kibanda Mait, Mr Hamad, who doubles as Secretary General of the main opposition Civic United Front (CUF), charged that, under cover of cracking down on perpetrators of chaos linked to Uamsho, the Police Force, intelligence service and what he characterized as ‘rogue elements’, were harassing innocent civilians. While declaring that the GNU would not be wrecked, he nonetheless accused the rival camp within the government of clandestinely carrying out moves aimed at sabotaging the partnership.