So people are just barging into your area to dig up these metals? That has got to cause some serious tension, not to mention legal issues. I'm trying to picture that happening in the US, and my guess is that any foreign miners might last a day before law enforcement booted them out on their asses. Man oh man.
In most African countries where illegal mining happens, there is always a catalyst to it and some facilitators whom is probably in the government or have some level of power in the countries, so it's about privatisation there has led to illegal mining to erupt to such extent and yeah sure it's perhaps enough to cause a general tension in the country yet such informations are not covered by the news or media's unlike the US where everyone is keeping an eye on the environment.