The chiefs of defence staff of member states of the Economic Community of West African States ( ECOWAS) have dispatched a contact mission to Guinea-Bissau over the recent killings in the crisis-torn country.

Local media reported on Monday the defence chiefs took the decision at the end of their 25th meeting in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, at the weekend.

The decision to dispatch the mission followed the June 4 assassinations of a presidential candidate for the June 28, 2009 elections, Baciro Dabo, and a former defence minister Helder Proenca along with two of his bodyguards.

The Interior Ministry of Guinea-Bissau accused both men of a coup attempt.

The ECOWAS mission is to be led by Chairman of the Committee of Chiefs of Defence Staff and Nigerian Chief of Defence Staff Paul Dike and it is expected to help find practical solutions to political and security challenges threatening to plunge the country into lawlessness and deeper political instability.

Other members of the mission include the chiefs of defence staff of Benin, Cape Verde, Gambia and Senegal.

During the three-day meeting, challenges to peace and security in the ECOWAS member states were discussed.

The meeting discussed the security situation in Guinea-Bissau, Niger, Mali, Togo and Nigeria.