2 days after Burkina Faso voted to reinstate the death penalty, Mali broadens powers to revoke citizenship as Sahel leaders tighten state control

Mali has expanded the grounds on which the state can strip citizens of their nationality, two days after neighbouring Burkina Faso approved the restoration of the death penalty, highlighting a tougher approach to state authority among military-led governments in the Sahel.

• Mali has expanded the legal grounds for stripping citizenship from individuals accused of acting against the state’s interests.
• The new law allows revocation of nationality for actions such as allegiance to another country, supporting separatism or terrorism, and financing terrorist activities.
• This measure cannot be used if it would render a person stateless.
• The move comes after Burkina Faso reinstated the death penalty for crimes like terrorism, treason, and espionage.

Mali’s National Transitional Council ratified an ordinance on October 22 amending the country’s Code of Persons and Family, allowing authorities to revoke the nationality of citizens by birth or naturalisation accused of acting against the country’s interests.

The measure received 119 votes from members present, according to Benin Web TV and La Nouvelle Tribune.

The law allows the government to revoke the citizenship of people accused of pledging allegiance to another country, supporting separatist or terrorist groups, or engaging in terrorism and financing terrorist activities.

It also covers certain former public officials and civil society leaders accused of acting against Mali’s interests. However, the government cannot revoke a person’s citizenship if doing so would leave them without citizenship in any country.

A tougher security approach across the Sahel

The decision follows Burkina Faso’s approval of a revised penal code on October 20, reinstating the death penalty for offences including terrorism, treason and espionage.

Burkina Faso abolished the death penalty for ordinary crimes in 2018, and its last known judicial execution took place in 1988, according to Human Rights Watch.

Burkina Faso’s military government has presented the change as part of its response to an Islamist insurgency linked to al-Qaeda and Islamic State. Mali’s authorities, meanwhile, have argued that the previous nationality framework was insufficient to protect the republic against hostile actions by some citizens.

Both countries belong to the Alliance of Sahel States, alongside Niger, and have placed sovereignty and national security at the centre of their political agendas. Their latest legal measures reflect a willingness to expand the state’s punitive powers as the region continues to face armed insurgencies.

The two decisions are distinct legal changes, and there is no established evidence that they were coordinated. Burkina Faso’s measure expands the offences punishable by death, while Mali’s ordinance broadens the grounds for deprivation of nationality.

Human Rights Watch has warned that restoring capital punishment in Burkina Faso could increase the risk of irreversible injustice, particularly where judicial safeguards are inadequate. In Mali, the practical impact of the nationality measure will depend on how authorities interpret and enforce its provisions.

For the Sahel’s military-led governments, the challenge remains whether tougher penalties and broader state powers can improve security without further narrowing civil liberties as insurgent violence persists.