ZAMBIA’S recent surge in illegal mining activities in Mufumbwe, Mpika, Chingola and other parts of the country should not come as a shock to anyone who has been paying attention. We should not act surprised or wonder where this is coming from and who is financing it. The uncomfortable truth is that the answers have been in plain sight for years. We simply chose not to connect the dots. For a long time, illegal mining has been discussed as though it is a problem of poverty, desperation and lawlessness at the grassroots. That narrative is convenient, but it is also misleading as it is not entirely true. What we are witnessing today is not just men digging illegally; it is...