UN, AU vow to strengthen cooperation in peace, security

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Sunday met with Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, chairperson of the African Union Commission, and the two leaders vowed to enhance cooperation in peace and security.

During the meeting, the two leaders "discussed the strategic partnership between the United Nations and the African Union and ways to continue to enhance such cooperation in the area of peace and security," Ban's spokesman told reporters here.

They also reviewed challenges to peace and security in Africa, including the situation in Libya, Mali/Sahel, Somalia, South Sudan and the Great Lakes Region, said the spokesman.

"The secretary-general reaffirmed the United Nations' commitment to a strengthened partnership with the African Union and its Regional Economic Communities," the spokesman said.

Meanwhile, the secretary-general also briefed the chairperson on the United Nations' efforts to combat the spread of the Ebola disease in West Africa, the spokesman added.

The Ebola virus killed at least 2,500 people in West Africa and nearly twice that number have been infected, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). The number of cases is doubling every three weeks.