Foreign Affairs Minister Mulambo Haimbe stood before a television camera in Lusaka on May 4 to issue a grave warning. The government of Zambia, he said, has refused a proposed health pact with the United States because it was tied to the control of his nation's minerals. The dignity of a sovereign people is not for sale, even when the price is the health of the sick.

According to Haimbe’s televised address, the U.S. demanded preferential treatment for its mining companies and access to the personal data of Zambian citizens. This attempt to link a health memorandum of understanding to a critical minerals deal has been met with firm resistance. “These matters are the subject of litigation in the Zambian courts and this must be respected,” Haimbe said.

This is the face of mineral imperialism. The search for the materials of the future—the lithium and cobalt that power our modern world—should not involve the coercion of the developing world. When we treat life-saving aid as a bargaining chip for extraction rights, we abandon the moral leadership that once defined our nation. The people of Zambia deserve a partner who respects their laws and their land.