Oriontimes International Desk| April 10, 2026 As the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) marks its 50th anniversary, renewed calls have emerged for deeper commitment to constitutional governance and democratic stability across the West African sub-region. ECOWAS, the economic and political bloc comprising 15 West African countries, has played a pivotal role in regional integration, peacekeeping, and conflict resolution since its establishment. However, as the region faces evolving political challenges, stakeholders are emphasizing the urgent need to strengthen democratic institutions. A diplomatic news platform, Paradigm News, led by Ambassador Raymond Enoch, who also maintains professional ties with ECOWAS and the State of the African Diaspora engaged prominent opinion leaders and policy experts across the region to share insights on the theme: “ECOWAS and the Imperative of Strengthening Constitutionalism and Democratic Resilience in West Africa.” Among those consu...
A day after the first military strike to hit civilian areas in Moscow, Kremlin officials jumped on the refusal of Ukraine’s allies to condemn the attack as proof that Russia’s real war was with the West. None of Ukraine’s allies went so far as to endorse the drone attack, but Britain’s foreign secretary said that Kyiv had “the right to project force beyond its borders.” The U.S. response also stopped short of criticizing the drone strike, which Ukrainian officials have said they were not “directly involved” in. Dmitri Medvedev, the deputy head of Russia’s national security council and a former president, said Britain “de facto is leading an undeclared war against Russia” by providing Ukraine with military support. He argued that now any British official “can be considered as a legitimate military target.” Russia has repeatedly hit civilian areas of Ukraine during the war, though it has denied targeting nonmilitary sites. In recent weeks it has turned up the barrage of missil...