The Zimbabwe President Emmerson Mnangagwa is reportedly seeking the African Union’s support in efforts to end his country’s devastating sanctions.

Zimbabwe president Mnangagwa was currently on a two-day official visit to Guinea.

The report said that he was set to use the visit to appeal to the former AU chairperson President Alpha Conde to rally other French-speaking countries to support his bid.

Speaking to journalists in Conakry, presidential spokesperson George Charamba said that Mnangagwa’s visit was important for Zimbabwe’s course at ending the two decades long sanctions.

The European Union and the United States imposed sanctions against Zimbabwe in 2000 after they accused ex-president Robert Mugabe of trampling on human rights, rigging elections and repression of press freedom – accusations that the nonagenarian denied.

The sanctions led to devastating economic challenges, with the country reportedly now sitting with about 85% unemployment.

“We are consolidating African support towards our re-engagement with the western world where we must make sure that all the sub-regions of Africa are solidly behind Zimbabwe in its efforts to break sanctions as well as achieve some rapport with the west,” the Herald newspaper quoted Charamba as saying.