YAOUNDE - Cameroon will host a meeting of the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) to discuss the fight against Nigeria's militant group Boko Haram.

The meeting to be held on Feb. 16, was agreed by sub-regional leaders who met during the recently concluded African Union (AU) summit held in Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa.

During the AU summit, the leaders examined the security situation threatened by Boko Haram outside of the Nigerian territory.

They expressed their support towards their Cameroonian counterpart Paul Biya in the fight his country is engaged in against Boko Haram and hailed the victories scored by the Chadian troops against the group since they were deployed in Cameroon in mid-January.

They also agreed to come up with a sub-regional security strategy to support Cameroon and Chad in the fight against the group.

Last month, the AU, through its Peace and Security Council, decided to create a joint force of 7,500 troops to fight Boko Haram militants.