AU officials are finalising plans for a multinational force to fight Nigeria's Boko Haram extremists though there are questions about funding.
A UN official says senior officers from the UN peacekeeping department are attending the meeting that started Thursday in Yaounde, Cameroon's capital.
The AU last week authorised a 7 500-strong force from Nigeria and its four neighbours to fight the spreading Islamic uprising.
The official says the Africans want UN Security Council approval and money to fund the mission.
The UN official spoke on condition of anonymity because of the issue's sensitivity.
Hundreds of extremists driven out of a Nigerian stronghold by Chadian air raids are attacking a Cameroon border town.
