Global powers’ US$62 billion rare earth hunt stokes fear in Kenya

Division and suspicion have gripped five villages near Kenya’s coast as global powers from the United States to China eye a forest that is rich in rare earths – minerals vital to hi-tech and low-carbon industries.
The US government under President Donald Trump has made securing critical minerals central to its diplomacy in Africa, including through a peace deal in the resource-rich Democratic Republic of Congo this year.
Mrima Hill, a forest of around 157 hectares (390 acres) near Kenya’s Indian…