Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger impose new tax on imports
Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger have introduced a 0.5% tax on goods imported from outside their countries.
The tax was agreed on March 28 and took effect immediately. Humanitarian aid is, however, exempted from this tax.
The three countries, which are all led by military governments, announced the tax to support their new union, the Alliance of Sahel States.
This alliance began in 2023 as a security pact but now aims to become an economic union with plans for biometric passports and closer military and economic ties.
The new tax means goods from other West African countries will no longer enter Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger freely.
This marks a break from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), a regional group that has promoted free trade across West Africa for decades.
The decision highlights the growing divide between the three Sahel countries and democratic nations like Nigeria and Ghana to the south.
