NAIROBI, April 27, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - The African Union on Saturday called for urgent cooperation to tackle jihadist violence in the Sahel region, after a recent attack blamed on Islamists killed 54 soldiers in northern Benin.

The region, which borders both Niger and Burkina Faso, has seen a recent rise in strikes targeting army positions and on April 17, suspected extremists attacked military posts in a national park.

Benin's government blamed the attacks on a spillover from Niger and Burkina Faso, both ruled by army officers who took power in coups on the promise of quashing the long-running jihadist scourge in the Sahel.

The AU commission's chairman, Mahamoud Ali Youssouf, condemned the latest attack and called it "cowardly".

The attack "highlights the urgent need for enhanced cooperation between neighbouring states to address the growing threat posed by terrorist groups operating in the Sahel", a statement read.

On Wednesday, Benin criticised the lack of cooperation with authorities in Burkina Faso and Niger, which have been hit by violence from armed groups affiliated to Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State.

Burkina Faso and Niger have turned their backs on the West and accuse Benin of harbouring foreign military bases to destabilise them.

Benin has denied the accusations.

The April 17 attack was claimed by the Al-Qaeda-affiliated Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims, which claimed that 70 Beninese soldiers were killed.