The Chairperson of the African Union (AU) Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat, yesterday called for the "immediate and unconditional" lifting of European Union (EU) and United States sanctions against Zimbabwe because they affect the country's growth.

"Mahamat once again renews the African Union's long-standing request for the immediate and unconditional lifting of sanctions imposed against institutions and individuals in the Republic of Zimbabwe," the pan-African organization's commission said in a statement, quoted by ANGOP.

The AU, which is based in Addis Ababa, added in the same statement that it remains deeply concerned about the negative impact that the sanctions continue to have on Zimbabwe's socio-economic development, in the midst of the current global food and energy crisis.

The chairperson of the AU Commission made the remarks on the so-called Anti-Sanctions Day, which the Southern African Development Community (SADC) has celebrated every year on October 25 since 2019.