Perence Shiri
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Perence Shiri | |
|---|---|
| 11 January 1955 – | |
| Allegiance |  Zimbabwe |
| Service/branch | Air Force of Zimbabwe |
| Rank | Air Marshal |
| Commands | Zimbabwean Fifth Brigade Air Force of Zimbabwe |
Air Marshal Perence Shiri (b. 11 January 1955[1]) is the current commander of the Air Force of Zimbabwe[2] and a cousin of Robert Mugabe.[3]
From 1983 to 1984, the Zimbabwean Fifth Brigade, under Shiri's command, was responsible for a reign of terror in Matabeleland. During the slaughter, thousands of civilian were killed and thousands more were tortured. Despite this, in 1986, Shiri was granted a place at the Royal College of Defence Studies in London.[4]
In 1992, Shiri was appointed the commander of the Air Force of Zimbabwe, taking over from Air Chief Marshal Josiah Tungamirai.[2]
In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Shiri was reported as have organised farm invasions by war veterans.[5] In 2002, in response to the subsequent food shortage, Mugabe dispatched Shiri to South Africa to purchase maize. This undertaking was backed by a credit note for the equivalent of 17 million GBP from the Libyan leader, Colonel Gaddafi.[3]
With the Mugabe government facing increasing problems, the Zimbabwean press reported in February 2007 that Shiri was regularly attending General Solomon Mujuru’s unofficial meetings with other senior military commanders and some political leaders. These meetings had discussed forcing Mugabe to the polls in 2008 with with a view to his replacement as president.[6]
[edit] Sanctions against Shiri
In 2002 the European Union barred Shiri from entering the EU[7] and on 6 March 2003, George W. Bush ordered the blocking of any of Shiri's property in the United States.[1]
[edit] References
- ^ a b US Code Collection - Executive Order No. 13288, Cornell Law School. Retrieved on 31 March 2007.
- ^ a b Air Force of Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe Ministry of Defence. Retrieved on 31 March 2007.
- ^ a b "The air marshal, Gaddafi and the big grain buy-up", telegraph.co.uk, 2002-08-08. Retrieved on March 31, 2007.
- ^ "British Invitation to Mugabe's Butcher", bbc.co.uk, 2002-03-08. Retrieved on March 31, 2007.
- ^ "Panorama reveals what British Government knew about Mugabe’s worst crimes", bbc.co.uk, 2002-03-10. Retrieved on March 31, 2007.
- ^ "Mujuru plots Mugabe's ouster", zimdaily.com, 2007-02-23. Retrieved on April 1, 2007.
- ^ "EU targets the henchmen", telegraph.co.uk, 2002-02-18. Retrieved on March 31, 2007.
| Military Offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by J Tungamirai |
Commander of the Air Force of Zimbabwe 1992– |
Incumbent |
 |
This Zimbabwean biographical article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
