Sweden’s Rare Earth Mining Push Sparks Growing Clash With Indigenous Sami

By Benson Daniel

Sweden’s drive to expand mining for rare earth minerals is intensifying a long running dispute with the Indigenous Sami people, as politicians and industrial interests push for greater access to mineral resources in the country’s far north.

The conflict has become particularly sharp around Kiruna, where state owned mining company LKAB is seeking to develop the Per Geijer deposit, an area believed to contain Europe’s largest known reserve of rare earth elements. The minerals are considered strategically important for electric vehicles, renewable energy technology and defence industries, as Europe seeks to reduce its dependence on imports from China.

For the Sami communities living and herding reindeer in the region, however, the proposed expansion threatens much more than pasture.

Reindeer herding is central to Sami culture and remains an important traditional livelihood. Herding communities say roads, mining infrastructure and other industrial developments are already fragmenting grazing areas and migration routes, making it increasingly difficult to move animals between seasonal pastures.

The Gabna Sami community, whose traditional territory is near Kiruna, fears that further mining development could effectively cut off one of the last viable routes used by its reindeer.

The dispute has also moved into the political arena ahead of Sweden’s September 13 general election. Deputy Prime Minister Ebba Busch has criticised the economic importance of reindeer husbandry and argued for changes that would make it easier to expand mining and other economic activities in northern Sweden.

Her comments have angered Sami representatives, who say their communities are once again being portrayed as an obstacle to national economic development.

Sami leaders argue that the debate should not be reduced to a choice between mining and jobs on one side and reindeer on the other. They say their traditional land rights and cultural survival must be considered before major industrial decisions are made.

The proposed Per Geijer project has already attracted international attention. A Stockholm Environment Institute assessment published earlier this year warned that the mining plans could violate Indigenous rights if they prevent Sami herders from maintaining traditional migration routes between winter and summer pastures.

LKAB has acknowledged that the project could affect reindeer husbandry but says it is consulting with affected communities and examining measures designed to reduce the impact.

The company and Swedish authorities view the mineral deposit as increasingly important to Europe’s economic and strategic security. Rare earth elements are essential components in many modern technologies, while governments across Europe are attempting to develop domestic supplies rather than remain heavily dependent on China.

That strategic argument has gained further weight after the Swedish government declared mining of critical metals and rare earth minerals a national security interest earlier this year.

But the Sami communities say Sweden’s green industrial transition cannot come at the expense of Indigenous rights. They point to the long history of mining and infrastructure development in northern Sweden, arguing that their lands have repeatedly been treated as a resource base for the wider country.

The dispute therefore presents Sweden with a difficult political choice. The country wants to position itself at the centre of Europe’s green industrial transformation, while also facing growing demands to respect the rights and traditional livelihoods of the Sami.

With the election approaching, the conflict over reindeer, land and rare earth minerals is becoming a symbol of a much larger question: who should bear the cost when national economic and security priorities collide with the rights of Indigenous communities?