Photo:AFP

 The African Union Commission Chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat on Friday condemned the police "murder" of an unarmed black man in the United States.

Mahamat was referring to the death of George Floyd on Monday evening shortly after a white police officer held him down with a knee on his neck for several minutes despite pleas by Floyd he was struggling to breathe.

After a few minutes, the man, lying face down in the street with his hands cuffed behind his back, became silent and motionless. Floyd died shortly after being taken to hospital.

"I strongly condemn the murder of George Floyd that occurred in the United States of America at the hands of law enforcement officers, and wishes to extend my deepest condolences to his family and loved ones," he said in a statement.

"The AU Commission firmly reaffirms and reiterates its rejection of the continuing discriminatory practices against Black citizens of the United States of America," it said.

"I urge the authorities in the United States of America to intensify their efforts to ensure the total elimination of all forms of discrimination based on race or ethnic origin," said the statement from Mahamat.

The death of Floyd has evoked memories about the case of Eric Garner, an unarmed black man who died in New York city police custody in 2014, after an officer held him in a chokehold.

Garner's repeated plea of "I can't breathe" at the time, recorded by a cellphone, has since then become a rallying cry at demonstrations against police misconduct around the United States.