Mali-Niger: The agreements linking the two countries to France will soon come to an end

Mali and Niger intend to terminate the agreements linking them to France. In a joint press release issued on Tuesday 05 December, the Malian and Nigerien authorities announced the termination of two agreements signed by France with their respective countries.

The Convention with Mali, signed on 22 September 1972 between the French Republic and the Republic of Mali, focuses on preventing double taxation and setting rules for mutual assistance in income tax, inheritance tax, registration duties, and stamp duties.

Similarly, the Convention between the French Republic and the Republic of Niger, signed in 1965, aims to eliminate double taxation and establish guidelines for mutual administrative assistance in tax matters.

These agreements facilitate cooperation and address tax-related issues between the respective governments.

For Mali and Niger, the conclusion and signing of treaties between their states is intended to strengthen international cooperation and ties of friendship.

However, France’s persistent hostile attitude towards their States contradicts this reason, in addition to the unbalanced nature of these Conventions, causing a considerable loss of revenue for the two countries.

They therefore decided to terminate the Conventions within three months.

It should be noted that the joint decision by Mali and Niger is in line with that of Burkina Faso, which had already terminated its tax treaty with France last August, as part of the new dynamic recently established.

Collaboration between the three countries entered a new dimension on 16 September 2023 with the signing of the Liptako-Gourma Charter, which gave rise to the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), through which the three countries aim to strengthen their cooperation and pool their efforts in all areas.

These include the fight against terrorism, organised crime and armed rebellion, as well as strengthening their economic relations.