ECOWAS Transition in Guinea-Bissau: Senegal has started facilitating Guinea-Bissau’s political transition after ECOWAS named it, meeting transitional President Horta Inta-A and Prime Minister Ilidio Vieira Te, and pushing for the Aug. 30 constitutional referendum and Dec. 6 elections. Political Crisis Solutions: Guinea-Bissau researchers and academics propose a national dialogue and a unity-government transitional framework with international guarantors, including ECOWAS, AU, UN and CPLP, plus political ceasefire steps, prisoner releases, judicial review, amnesty and security guarantees. Maritime Security Shock for the Region: A Guinea-Bissau-flagged ship and other vessels were hit in the Black Sea as Russia escalated attacks on ports and shipping, while a separate case highlights regional maritime weaknesses: Liberia’s IB Atlantic IV was arrested in Ivory Coast after a “ghost ship” chase involving Bissau-linked regional alerts. Regional Defence Diplomacy: Iran, Pakistan and Türkiye’s Makkah Joint Defence Agreement sparked debate over whether it signals a shift away from US security reliance, with Pakistan stressing the pact is defensive and not aimed at confrontation. West Africa Fiscal Reform: WATAF gathered nearly 400 participants from 16 countries to advance digital VAT reform and boost domestic revenue mobilization.