War in Myanmar fuels deadly expansion of rare earth mining

Conflict in Myanmar has accelerated rare earth mineral extraction, a critical supply chain for clean energy and electronics, while creating severe environmental and humanitarian costs.

First covered Jul 23, 2026 · 1:45 AM PT · 1 article

War in Myanmar fuels deadly expansion of rare earth mining — Image via grist.org

Coverage

4h Grist How war in Myanmar is driving a deadly rare earth mining boom

Primary sources

2021-2025.state.gov Sanctions Against the Myanma Oil and Gas Enterprise and Concerted Pressure with Partners - United States Department of State

burmalibrary.org Woods Ceasefire Capitalism (burmalibrary.org)

eia-international.org Eia Organised Chaos Final Lr1 (eia-international.org)

More coverage from around the web

stimson.org Rare Earth Mining in Myanmar Expands to TNLA-Held Territory • Stimson Center

business-humanrights.org Myanmar: Suspected unlicensed Chinese-backed rare earth mines expand along border, report warns of serious environmental risks - Business and Human Rights Centre

sciencedirect.com Rare earth mining in Myanmar: an environmental health crisis hidden by conflict - ScienceDirect

globalwitness.org Myanmar’s rare earth boom | Global Witness

ispmyanmar.com Unearthing the Cost: Rare Earth Mining in Myanmar’s War-Torn Regions | ISP-Myanmar

Appeared in: 2026-07-23 (#9)

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