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In 1875, the US 7th Cavalry, led by Colonel Custer announced they’d found gold in the Black Hills of South Dakota, leading to a gold rush and the outbreak of the so-called Great Sioux War. 150 years later, today in the Democratic Republic of Congo, armed militia fight for control of gold mines, and mining for copper and cobalt leads to mass displacement of people. Jonathan Freedland investigates links between mineral extraction and armed conflict, then and now. With: Professor Kathleen Burk, Professor Emerita of Modern and Contemporary History at University College London Guillaume de Brier, Researcher at the International Peace Information Service in Antwerp Reader: Jason Barnett Producer: Luke Mulhall
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