He was once called a liberation hero , but rights groups now accuse him of abuses . Mugabe became a household name during a guerrilla war against white colonial rulers . He was Zimbabwe 's prime minister in 1980 , then its president seven years later . In the 1980s he led an army campaign to crush black nationalist guerrillas and won elections as leader of ZANU PF ( Movement for Democratic Change ) party.
He was once called a liberation hero , but rights groups now accuse him of abuses . Mugabe became a household name during a guerrilla war against white colonial rulers . He was Zimbabwe 's prime minister in 1980 , then its president seven years later . Survey last year showed his party regaining popularity .