How war in Myanmar is driving a deadly rare earth mining boom
Myanmar's decades of conflict have enabled a secretive industry that pollutes communities and endangers workers.
In Myanmar, the ongoing war has sparked a deadly boom in rare earth mining, driving workers to hazardous conditions and toxic environments. Min, a worker from the Sagaing Region, left his hometown for the eastern border with China earlier this year, seeking employment after the military coup devastated the country's formal economy and jobs became scarce.
He joined a rare earth mining site in an autonomous region controlled by a powerful ethnic army, where he earned around 3,000 yuan ($430) a month, far more than any other industry. However, the work came with significant risks, including steep slopes and dangerous machinery. Min's brother died in a landslide shortly after arriving, and Min has continued working despite the dangers, as other job opportunities are scarce.
Rare earths, used in the manufacture of wind turbines, electric vehicles, and advanced weapons, are considered critical minerals by many countries. Their extraction has left a trail of destruction in Myanmar, with poisonous rivers, deforested areas, and toxic farmland. The industry operates in a legal grey area, with Chinese companies extracting rare earths in autonomous regions controlled by local ethnic armies.
These armies protect mining operations while taking a cut of the profits, and the mined material is then transported across the border into China for processing.
The conflict in Myanmar is among the most extreme and fragmented in the world, with over 1,200 distinct armed groups and corrupt institutions. This environment allows criminal activity to flourish, with Myanmar reportedly having the highest levels of organized crime in the world. Thaw Htoo, a political ecologist from Myanmar, notes that external influences, such as global demand and China's control, play a significant role in the rare earth extraction process.
Armed groups and lawlessness enable harmful practices, and despite the urgent need for responsible sourcing and a just energy transition, international attention remains largely absent.
Written by urgent.news from Mining.com's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — it may contain errors, so check the original before relying on it.
