MONROVIA, LIBERIA-Mines and Energy Minister, Wilmot Paye, has urged aggrieved residents of Ben-Ben Town in Mount Coffee Township, Montserrado County, to discourage all forms of violence and embrace peaceful coexistence.

Minister Paye admonished citizens of the area to await the Ministry’s resolution of a mining dispute which has since engulfed the area, leading to the deaths of two persons and the destruction of properties.

In a meeting with two groups of residents from the Town on Tuesday, the Mines and Energy Minister assured the residents that an amicable resolution to their differences will be reached soon.

He informed them that the Ministry is deeply concerned about the divisions that led his administration to place a moratorium on all mining activities in the town and its environs in November last year.

The Minister said that the government’s obligation to protect lives and properties necessitated the decision to temporarily ban mining operations in Ben-Ben Town.

By: Frederick Teegwiah, Jr.