====== Coal and cobalt extraction from Molbrian mines (1979–1985) ======

The Coal and cobalt extraction from Molbrian mines was a political and economic measure jointly bound to crises in both [[countries:molbra|Molbra]] and [[countries:perantsa|Perantsa]], lasting from 22 October 1979 to 9 October 1985. The program emerged directly from disruptions caused by the [[history:economic-crisis-in-perantsa-1979-1981|Economic crisis in Perantsa (1979–1981)]], which laid bare Perantsa’s overreliance on foreign coal contracts.

==== Background and Triggers ====

With coal imports from [[countries:karti|Karti]] and [[countries:rakshaw|Rakshaw]] abruptly curtailed, Perantsa turned urgently toward Molbra, whose vast but underdeveloped deposits of both coal and cobalt had long been known but remained untapped on an industrial scale due to costs, rough terrain, and political reluctance. Molbra’s peninsula held the geological wealth, while Perantsa possessed immediate downstream processing industries eager for raw material. Out of desperation, the two governments negotiated the Bilateralt Extraction Accord of 1979, opening new mines along Molbra’s interior basins, with the logistics propelled through ports and sea lanes already frequented between [[countries:perantsa:cities:peran|Peran]] and Molbra’s coast.

==== Accord and Implementation ====

The agreement struggled from the start. Molbra’s government, financially constrained, effectively subcontracted labor flows from its underrepresented Zezouic minority. Entire mining districts became known for harsh conditions, extensive shift‑work, and routine injury—part of the output then back‑shipped across the Ozmo Sea to fuel Perantsa’s factories still reeling from power shortfalls.

==== Labour and Controversies ====

Reports of child labour in Molbra’s cobalt sites surfaced as early as 1980, attracting criticism from humanitarian organisations but brushed aside by politicians under the banner of “stabilization” and economic necessity. Social divisions deepened sharply in Molbra: northerners in [[countries:molbra:cities:vezza|Vezza]] resented distant southern administrators profiting from exports while worsening safety scandals destroyed local trust.

==== Public Response in Perantsa ====

In Perantsa, consumers reluctantly tolerated price caps and rationing, convinced that reliance on Molbra’s mines was a temporary evil. Calm never fully settled, as waves of student protests in [[countries:perantsa:cities:peran|Peran]] denounced the “toxic corridor” linking national energy security to hidden exploitation abroad.

==== Oversight Attempts and Incidents ====

By 1983, oversight schemes attempted to curb abuses—introducing quotas, wage guarantees, and school attendance obligations. In practice, enforcement proved uneven, further darkening public sentiment both at home and across the sea. Industrial accidents culminated in a landslide at a Zezouic settlement in 1984, which permanently retired one of the most productive extraction pits and sparked international calls for inquiry.

==== Conclusion and Legacy ====

The measure concluded suddenly in October 1985. Perantsa’s restored imports and an accelerating push toward renewable energy deleted the rationale for continued dependence. For Molbra, meanwhile, the foreign‑backed mines had left behind scarred uplands, dislocated workers, and simmering resentment toward decades of political neglect.

Viewed together with Perantsa’s earlier “coal winter,” the joint extraction program is remembered not only as a pragmatic but grim interlude of mutual reliance: Perantsa saving its industrial lifeline through sacrifice abroad, while Molbra sold its landscapes, communities, and futures in return for short‑term stability. The episode has since been described by historians as one of the clearest examples of resource urgency overriding social responsibility in modern Ozmo history.

==== Timeline ====

- 22 October 1979 — Program begins following the Bilateralt Extraction Accord of 1979.
- 1980 — Reports of child labour in Molbra’s cobalt sites surface.
- 1983 — Oversight schemes introduced (quotas, wage guarantees, and school attendance obligations).
- 1984 — Landslide at a Zezouic settlement permanently retires a productive extraction pit; international calls for inquiry follow.
- 9 October 1985 — Measure concludes.

==== Key Locations Mentioned ====

- [[countries:molbra|Molbra]]
- [[countries:perantsa|Perantsa]]
- [[countries:perantsa:cities:peran|Peran]]
- [[countries:molbra:cities:vezza|Vezza]]
- [[countries:karti|Karti]]
- [[countries:rakshaw|Rakshaw]]
- Ozmo Sea

==== See also ====

- [[history:economic-crisis-in-perantsa-1979-1981|Economic crisis in Perantsa (1979–1981)]]
- [[countries:molbra|Molbra]]
- [[countries:perantsa|Perantsa]]