Historically speaking, the people and the environment come a very, very distant second and third place to mine owners.
Even moreso these days because China and North Korea have sponsored so much infrastructure in Africa over 20 years as European colonisation has pulled out, and bought so many mines and in-field processing plants that the local people are just an ablative grease for mechanised and chemical mining.
Even moreso these days because China and North Korea have sponsored so much infrastructure in Africa over 20 years as European colonisation has pulled out, and bought so many mines and in-field processing plants that the local people are just an ablative grease for mechanised and chemical mining.