In their pursuit of nickel, a key metal in EV batteries, miners are destroying the forest home of the Hongana Manyawa people on the Indonesian island of Halmahera, allegedly threatening uncontacted groups.
There are around 3,500 Hongana Manyawa living on the island, of which around 500 remain uncontacted. At least 19 firms are mining Hongana Manyawa lands, most of them gathering nickel, according to a report from watchdog group Survival International. Among these companies is French mining giant Eramet, which runs Weda Bay Nickel, the largest nickel mine in the world.
Survival says that miners are encroaching on large areas occupied by uncontacted people, putting them at risk of contracting deadly diseases. In recent months, videos have emerged that appear to show uncontacted Hongana Manyawa confronting miners.
Eramet told The Guardian that while some Hongana Manyawa have met with miners, it had found no evidence of uncontacted people living in or near its mining operation. But Survival says a report commissioned by Weda Bay Nickel called for forcibly contacting isolated Hongana Manyawa.
“Survival International is calling for the urgent, immediate recognition and demarcation of their territory, an end to mining on their land, and the establishment of a ‘no-go zone,’” said Caroline Pearce, head of the group. “It’s also vital that electric vehicle manufacturers publicly commit to ensuring that their supply chains are entirely free of materials stolen from the territories of uncontacted Indigenous peoples.”
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