AU, EU step up commitment to deepen peace, security

The African Union (AU) and the European Union (EU) have reiterated their commitment to deepening partnership in the area of peace and security.

Smail Chergui, AU Commissioner for Peace and Security, on Tuesday April 21 met with Federica Mogherini, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-president of the European Commission.

The meeting, which took place on the margins of the AU Commission and European Commission College-to-College meeting in Brussels, Belgium was attended by other officials from the External Action Services (EEAS), including Alain Le Roy, Secretary- General of the EEAS, said a statement from AU on Thursday.

The two officials discussed a number of issues of common concern in particular the prevailing situation in Libya, which is characterized by continued insecurity, political polarization and the increasing presence of terrorist groups, some of which is affiliated to the Islamic State, said the statement.

They noted that the collapse of state authority in Libya has contributed to the aggravation of human trafficking and the flow of illegal migrants departing from Libya to Europe, with the attendant humanitarian disasters, as shown by the recent drowning of hundreds of people in the Mediterranean Sea, according to the statement.

They also dwelt upon other issues including the situation in Somalia and the impact of the conflict in Yemen on that country and the larger Horn of Africa region.

The officials discussed the ongoing peace efforts in Mali and other recent developments in the Sahel region; the fight against the Boko Haram terrorist group; and efforts towards the implementation of the Peace, Security and Cooperation Framework for the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Great Lakes.

Commissioner Chergui and High Representative Mogherini reiterated the commitment of both the AU and the EU to deepening their partnership in the area of peace and security.

In this respect, they have agreed to work together to ensure strategic coherence on all issues of common concern and closer coordination of the efforts of their envoys on the ground, noted the statement.