Accra, Feb 4 (IANS): The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has decided to send a stabilisation force to help normalise the security situation in Guinea-Bissau after the failed coup earlier this week.

ECOWAS Commission President Jean-Claude Kassi Brou said at a press briefing after an extraordinary summit of the authority of ECOWAS Heads of State and Government that the regional bloc has decided to offer military support to Guinea-Bissau to secure its democracy and sustain peace and security in the country, reports Xinhua news agency.

"This is something that we will do very rapidly to ensure that this type of attempt of take-over power by force does not take place," said Kassi Brou.

He said it took such a force from ECOWAS in the past to stabilise democracy in a country that experienced two military coups, a civil war, and a presidential assassination by the military since 1994.

The government of Guinea-Bissau on Wednesday confirmed 11 people died during a failed coup attempt that took place in the country on Tuesday.

Late Tuesday, President Umaro Sissoco Embalo announced that the coup had been thwarted and several civilians and soldiers had been arrested.

Embalo said the attackers tried to kill him and his entire cabinet at the government palace.

Guinea-Bissau, with a population of just under two million people, has seen nine coups or attempted coups since 1980.

Over the past two years there have been military takeovers in Mali, Chad, Burkina Faso and Guinea, as well as further east in Sudan.