Zimbabwe president takes anti-sanctions lobby to UN

HARARE, Sept. 21 (Xinhua) -- Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa on Friday night left for the United Nations General Assembly in New York where he is expected to plead for the removal of Western imposed sanctions.

Zimbabwe has suffered economic sanctions since the early 2000s after the government embarked on land reforms to give blacks land which was owned by white farmers.

Researchers estimate that the economy lost nearly 100 billion U.S. dollars as a result.

Apart from Mnangagwa, the Southern African Development Community and the African Union are also expected to speak against the sanctions at the General Assembly.