General Terms of Sale
Last updated: 2026-08-03
These General Terms of Sale cover complex subjects specific to international freight — carrier liability, dangerous goods, customs compliance. They are a thorough working draft and have not yet been reviewed by a lawyer qualified in Malian/OHADA law. They will be updated once that review is complete.
1. Scope
These General Terms of Sale (GTS) apply to all services provided by Sahel Supply & Logistics (SSL) to its clients. Any order placed with Sahel Supply & Logistics implies full acceptance of these GTS.
2. Quotes & Orders
All quotes are valid for 15 days from the date of issue, unless otherwise specified. An order is confirmed only upon written acceptance of the quote by the client and receipt of any required deposit. Sahel Supply & Logistics reserves the right to refuse any order.
3. Nature of Services — Freight Forwarder
Sahel Supply & Logistics acts as a freight forwarder (commissionnaire de transport): it organizes, coordinates, and arranges the carriage of goods, and may subcontract the actual carriage — by air, sea, or road — to third-party carriers, airlines, or shipping lines that it selects with reasonable care. Unless expressly agreed in writing that Sahel Supply & Logistics acts as the contracting carrier for a specific shipment, its liability as forwarder is that of an agent organizing the transport, distinct from and subordinate to the liability of the underlying carrier actually performing the carriage, whose own conditions of carriage and liability regime apply to that leg of the journey.
4. Pricing & Payment
Prices are quoted in XOF (West African CFA franc) or the currency specified in the quote, excluding taxes unless stated otherwise. Payment terms (advance payment, deposit, or credit terms) are specified in each quote; accepted payment methods include bank transfer and mobile money as indicated on the invoice. Where a shipment is priced in a foreign currency, any exchange-rate variation between quotation and payment is borne by the client unless otherwise agreed. Late payments may incur penalties of 1.5% per month on the outstanding amount, and Sahel Supply & Logistics may suspend ongoing services until overdue invoices are settled.
5. Execution of Services
Sahel Supply & Logistics undertakes to execute the agreed services with due diligence and in accordance with applicable professional standards. Delivery times are indicative and may vary due to factors beyond its control (customs delays, carrier issues, force majeure).
6. Client Obligations & Goods Declaration
The client undertakes to provide accurate and complete information necessary for the execution of services, to supply all required documents in a timely manner, and to pay invoices by the agreed due dates. The client is solely responsible for accurately declaring the nature, value, weight, and any hazardous or restricted character of the goods, and for obtaining any permit, license, or certificate required for their transport, export, or import. Sahel Supply & Logistics is entitled to rely on the information provided by the client and bears no liability for consequences arising from inaccurate or incomplete declarations.
7. Dangerous & Restricted Goods
Any shipment containing dangerous, hazardous, or restricted goods must be declared as such by the client prior to acceptance, and must comply with applicable regulations for the relevant mode of transport — including the IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations (DGR) for air freight and the IMDG Code for sea freight. Sahel Supply & Logistics may refuse, at its sole discretion, any shipment that is undeclared, misdeclared, or non-compliant. The client is liable for all costs, fines, damages, and delays arising from an undeclared or misdeclared dangerous or restricted good, including harm caused to other cargo, persons, equipment, or the carrying vessel/aircraft/vehicle.
8. Customs Compliance
Sahel Supply & Logistics assists with customs clearance formalities based on the information and documents supplied by the client. Responsibility for the accuracy of customs declarations, tariff classification (HS code), and declared value rests with the client, who remains liable for any duties, taxes, penalties, seizure, or other consequences resulting from incorrect declarations, under-invoicing, or non-compliance with customs regulations of Mali or any transit or destination country.
9. Incoterms
Where the parties agree to apply an Incoterm® (2020 edition of the International Chamber of Commerce rules) to a shipment, that Incoterm governs the allocation of costs and the transfer of risk between the parties as described in Sahel Supply & Logistics' Incoterms guide, available on request. The chosen Incoterm does not by itself extend or modify the liability caps set out in Section 10; it only determines at which point responsibility for loss or damage passes from seller to buyer.
10. Liability & Insurance
The liability of Sahel Supply & Logistics is limited to direct damages actually proven, and shall not exceed, per shipment, the lowest of: (a) the amount invoiced for the service in question, or (b) where carriage is by air, the limits of the Montreal Convention of 1999; where carriage is by sea, the limits of the Hague-Visby Rules; or where carriage is by road, the limits of the CMR Convention — as applicable to the leg of carriage during which the loss or damage occurred, and subject to the distinction drawn in Section 3 between Sahel Supply & Logistics' own liability as forwarder and that of the underlying carrier. Sahel Supply & Logistics strongly recommends that clients take out all-risk cargo insurance and can arrange such insurance upon request. Any claim for loss, damage, or delay must be notified in writing within 7 days of delivery (or, for non-delivery, within a reasonable time of the expected delivery date), failing which the claim may be deemed waived.
11. Sanctions & Regulatory Compliance
The client warrants that neither it, the goods, nor the intended recipient are subject to any applicable international trade sanctions, embargo, or restricted-party list. Sahel Supply & Logistics may refuse or suspend any shipment where it reasonably suspects a breach of this warranty or of applicable export-control regulations, without liability for any resulting delay or cost.
12. Force Majeure
Sahel Supply & Logistics shall not be liable for any failure or delay in performance due to events beyond its reasonable control, including but not limited to natural disasters, strikes, government actions, border closures, or infrastructure failures. The affected party must notify the other in writing as soon as reasonably possible, take reasonable steps to mitigate the impact, and performance is suspended for the duration of the event; either party may terminate the affected order if the event continues for more than 30 days.
13. Retention Rights
Sahel Supply & Logistics may retain goods, documents, or deliverables in its possession as security for any unpaid amount owed by the client, until full payment is received, in accordance with applicable Malian and OHADA law.
14. Termination
Either party may terminate an ongoing service agreement in writing with 15 days' notice. Sahel Supply & Logistics may terminate immediately, without notice, in the event of non-payment, a material breach of these Terms, or the circumstances described in Sections 7, 8, or 11. Termination does not affect amounts already due or claims that arose before the termination date.
15. Disputes
In the event of a dispute, the parties agree to seek an amicable resolution first, including through mediation if needed. Failing an amicable resolution within 30 days, the parties may agree to submit the dispute to arbitration under the rules of the OHADA Common Court of Justice and Arbitration (CCJA), given Mali’s membership in OHADA; absent such agreement, any dispute shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of Bamako, Mali, under Malian law.
16. Notices
Formal notices between the parties (e.g. termination, force majeure, claims) must be given in writing, by email to the addresses on file or by any other means providing written proof of receipt. Day-to-day operational communication (quote requests, shipment updates) may continue to take place by WhatsApp or phone, but does not by itself constitute a formal notice under these Terms.
17. Severability
If any provision of these Terms is held invalid or unenforceable, the remaining provisions shall continue in full force and effect, and the invalid provision shall be replaced by a valid one that most closely reflects its original intent.
18. Contact
For any question: [email protected] — Sahel Supply & Logistics, Missira, Rue 20, Bamako, Mali.