[4] In the 2022 United Nations Special Rapporteur for Human Rights and the Environment, David Richard Boyd described the mine as one of the worst sacrifice zones in the world.

Lega Dembi mine is located in Oromia Regional State, Guji Zone, about 500km south of Addis Ababa.

[6] Between 1997 and 2009, MIDROC's expansion of the mine caused deforestation and displaced Indigenous Gujii people from their ancestral land,[10] denying their right to free, prior and informed consent.

[6] Local people allege that MIDROC polluted rivers with chemicals that residents used for drinking and for livestock, causing birth deformities and animal deaths.

[9] Protesters contend water and air pollution from the mine have caused respiratory illnesses, miscarriages, birth defects, and disabilities.

[10] One healthcare provider reported that, "Mothers are having miscarriages every single day...I am not seeing this in other places, only around the mining site.”[12] A field study in 2018-2019 found 19 children with "serious deformities and paralysis" in a survey of 36 households.

[7] A 2022 paper found that MIROC had created a resource enclave at Lega Dembi that was distanced from influence by the local community.

[6][11] In 2015, protests at the mine became part of larger anti-government demonstrations that culminated in the 2018 resignation of Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn.

[11][13] A 2016 report by Human Rights Watch found that, “Security forces committed numerous human rights violations in response to the protests, including arbitrary arrest and detention, killings and other uses of excessive force, torture and ill-treatment in detention, and enforced disappearances.”[11] In April and May 2018, demonstrators blocked roads in Shakiso demanding the cancellation of MIDROC's licence at Lega Dembi.