Zimbabwe: Army commanders live in fear

  1. Posted on Monday 1 June 2009 - 11:04
    bruce
    Bruce Sibanda, AfricaNews reporter in Harare, Zimbabwe
    Senior army officials in Zimbabwe have told their commander in chief President Robert Mugabe that they are now afraid to review parades at army barracks as they risk being shot. A crisis meeting with Mugabe on Thursday at the Defence Forces Headquarters revealed that there is growing indiscipline among the junior ranks.
    Mugabe_nihlist blogspot
    "Army commanders are now afraid to review parades saying junior solders are plotting to kill them, so they sort guidance from their commander in chief Mugabe," said an army source at the headquarters.

    Zimbabwe Defence Forces (ZDF) Commander, Constantine Chiwenga, Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA) Commander, Phillip Valerio Sibanda, Air Force of
    Zimbabwe (AFZ) commander, Air Marshal Perrence Shiri, and his Number Two, Air Vice-Marshal Henry Muchena were reported to have attended the meeting.

    Chiwengwa is said to have pleaded with Mugabe to sort out the welfare of members of the uniformed forces saying: "We are sitting on a time bomb."

    "He told Mugabe that it would not be surprising if one was shot at while reviewing a parade," said the source.

    Indiscipline was said to be particularly rampant among young officers who are said not to be happy with the US$100 that they are being paid by the new coalition government.

    It was recommended that service firearms should be withdrawn from members of the security forces. Sources say is to limit the prospect of a mutiny.

    At the height of political disturbances last year, a group of soldiers went into the streets of Harare and ransacked shops while beating members of the public indiscriminately.

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