Mali - Mauritania

INTRODUCTION

Mali and Mauritania signed an Establishment and Circulation of Persons Convention (Convention d’Établissement et de Circulation des Personnes) in 1963. According to its preamble, the primary reasons for its adoption were the friendly ties between the two countries, the commitment to achieving African unity, and the aim to provide their respective nationals with a privileged status in each other’s territory. The Convention offers nationals of each state party the freedom to enter, travel, and choose a domicile of their choice in the territory of the other state party (entrer librement sur le territoire de l'autre Etat, y voyager, y établir sa résidence dans le lieu de leur choix). It also offers access to the labour market as well as other rights. It has not been possible to confirm whether the Convention was ratified by one or both countries. According to a report produced by international organizations, the Convention has ceased to be implemented (ICMPD/IOM, 2015, p. 235). This possibly means the Convention was in place at some point. Mauritania was part of ECOWAS until 2000, when it withdrew its membership. In early 2024, Mali also announced its decision to withdraw its membership. 

STATE PARTIES

• MALI
• MAURITANIA

TIMELINE

KEY LEGAL DOCUMENTS 

Establishment and Circulation of Persons Convention between Mali and Mauritania, Nouakchott, 25 July 1963 [Convention d’Établissement et de Circulation des Personnes entre le Mali et la République Islamique de Mauritanie].

FURTHER READING

ICMPD, IOM, A Survey on Migration Policies in West Africa, 2015.