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War in Myanmar fuels risky rare earth mining as workers flee
Workers in eastern border regions of Myanmar are being pulled into rare earth mining after the 2021 coup and 2024 conscription disrupted jobs, even as fatal landslides have struck sites in recent years.
Mining.com, citing reporting by Grist, describes how Myanmar’s ongoing conflict has helped sustain a largely secretive rare earth mining industry, drawing workers who have little alternative employment after the 2021 military coup and the introduction of mandatory conscription in 2024. One worker described as “Min” left central Myanmar for the eastern border with China and paid a broker 2,000 Chinese yuan, about $290, to secure work at a rare earth mining site in an autonomous region controlled by an ethnic armed group. Assigned to build roads, Min and his brother earned around 3,000 yuan, about $430, per month, wages that were higher than what was available in most other industries amid the conflict.
The work, however, has been described as dangerous. Min’s brother died in a landslide weeks after arriving, and local media have documented at least five fatal landslides at rare earth mining sites in Myanmar in recent years, including an incident in which more than a dozen workers were buried. The story says rare earths, used in products including wind turbines and electric vehicles, are also tied to advanced weapons, which increases the materials’ geostrategic importance. It notes that Myanmar is the world’s largest supplier of heavy rare earths, framing the country’s supply-chain position as a major factor in global competition for critical minerals.