Burma’s Rare Earth Rush: Why Kachin, Karen, and All Ethnic Nations Must Control Their Lands and Resources
In the northern hills and river valleys of Burma (Myanmar), a quiet war is raging over the most strategic resources of our time: rare earth elements. These minerals, essential for electric vehicles, wind turbines, and advanced defense technologies, are not just the building blocks of the modern economy—they are also the lifeblood of local environments and communities.
Recent satellite imagery reveals a dramatic surge in rare earth mining in United Wa State Army (UWSA)–held territory in Shan State. Meanwhile, the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) holds much of the original heavy rare earth belt in Kachin State. Both areas have become the focus of intense interest from China, which dominates global processing and magnet manufacturing. This expansion comes at a terrible cost to the rivers, farmland, and health of the people living downstream—in Thailand, Laos, and inside Burma itself.
But the heart of the issue is not just environmental destruction. It is the continued theft of resources from ethnic lands without the consent of the rightful owners—the Kachin, the Karen, and all other ethnic peoples of Burma.
The New Mining Fronts
When KIA forces took control of Pangwa and Chipwi in late 2024—an area once responsible for roughly half of the world’s heavy rare earths—they struck a blow against unchecked exploitation. The KIA began taxing shipments, limiting exports, and asserting control over their own resources. This action sent shockwaves through the global supply chain: Chinese imports of heavy rare earths from Burma dropped nearly 90%, and prices for terbium jumped more than 20%.
In response, Chinese-backed operators and allied armed groups shifted their focus south and east. New mining clusters—26 sites in all—have appeared in UWSA territory in Shan State, near the Thai border. These sites use the same destructive leaching methods seen in Kachin: pumping chemicals like ammonium sulfate into the earth, flushing rare earth ions into open ponds, and allowing acid-laden runoff to bleed into headwaters.
Poison in the Rivers
Downstream, Thai scientists are detecting dangerous levels of arsenic and lead in the Kok, Sai, and Mekong rivers—levels that far exceed World Health Organization safety limits. Fish are disappearing, farmland is being tainted, and communities are facing growing health crises. Thailand’s attempts to build small dams and weirs are only temporary measures; without stopping the source of contamination, the Mekong Basin will continue to suffer.
The China Connection
For years, China has tightened environmental restrictions at home while quietly outsourcing the dirtiest extraction to Burma. In 2023 alone, imports of Burmese heavy rare earth oxides into China doubled to over 41,000 tonnes, worth about $1.4 billion. These materials feed directly into China’s magnet factories, which supply the global market.
When KIA action disrupted Kachin production, China simply pivoted—accelerating mining in UWSA territory and pushing deeper into other ethnic lands. The model is clear: keep the pollution in Burma, keep the profits in China.
A Question of Sovereignty and Justice
The Kachin and Karen peoples—and all other ethnic nations of Burma—have lived on and cared for these lands for centuries. Yet under the current system, they are denied both political autonomy and the right to decide how, or whether, their resources are used. Instead, their mountains are carved up by foreign-backed armed groups, their rivers poisoned, and their wealth shipped abroad.
The only just solution is a hybrid model of governance in which each ethnic people has full autonomy and independence over their respective lands, with absolute ownership of their natural resources. This includes the right to decide extraction limits, environmental safeguards, and the share of wealth returned to local communities.
Under such a model:
The Kachin would manage and benefit from the rare earth belt in Kachin State.
The Karen would control their rivers, forests, and mineral deposits.
The Shan, Chin, Mon, Rakhine, and other ethnic nations would likewise govern their lands free from central interference or foreign exploitation.
This approach would replace the exploitative “one capital controls all” system with a confederation of self-governing nations, each responsible for its own development, trade, and environmental stewardship.
The Stakes for the World
Rare earths are not just a local issue—they are a global choke point. Without ethical sourcing, the supply chain for clean energy and advanced technology will be built on the backs of poisoned rivers and exploited peoples.
If the world continues to rely solely on Chinese-controlled processing, it will remain complicit in the destruction of ethnic lands in Burma. Countries that value human rights and environmental protection must invest in alternative processing capacity and support the right of ethnic nations to control their own resources.
A Call to Action
For too long, the ethnic peoples of Burma have been treated as obstacles to be removed, rather than as sovereign nations with the right to self-determination. The Kachin and Karen have shown they are capable of defending their lands against both military dictatorships and corporate greed. Now, they—and all ethnic nations—must be recognized as the rightful stewards of their territories.
Autonomy is not a threat to peace—it is the foundation of it.
The mountains, rivers, and forests of Burma should not be carved up by outsiders. They should be protected, managed, and, where appropriate, sustainably developed by those who have called them home for generations.
Until this happens, every new mine is not just a hole in the earth—it is a wound in the heart of a people who deserve to live free, prosper on their own terms, and pass on a healthy land to their children.
References
Al Jazeera. (2025, August 7). Satellite images show surge in rare earth mining in rebel-held Myanmar.
Progressive Voice / Shan Human Rights Foundation. (2025, June 19). Satellite images expose rare earth mining expansion in northern UWSA area of Mong Bawk.
Reuters. (2025, March 28). Myanmar rebels disrupt China rare earth trade, sparking regional scramble.
Reuters. (2025, June 12). Exclusive: China-backed militia secures control of new rare earth mines in Myanmar.
Global Witness. (2024, May 23). Fuelling the Future, Poisoning the Present: Myanmar’s Rare Earth Boom.
Reuters. (2025, July 7). How China tightened its grip over its rare earth sector.
