Publié le 7 mars 2025 – Mis à jour le 7 mars 2025

A new column by Rabah Arezki - Foreign Policy

The New Gold Rush

by Rabah Arezki, CNRS, CERDI. 
 

A tug-of-war between governments and illegal miners is igniting conflict. To avoid the worst, states must make room for legal artisanal mining.

The discovery of gold in the U.S. state of California in the mid-19th century led to a gold rush that was accompanied by mass migration. While the gold deposits were primarily located on “public land,” there was no enforcement of these rights, making the gold free for the taking.

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Photo : Miners building infrastructure around a mine entrance, USAID Land, Flickr