Indigenous protester tells French mining giant: “Stop the mining or my people will die.”

Ngigoro, a Hongana Manyawa man, speaks out at a protest outside the HQ of Eramet, which operates the world’s biggest nickel mine on his people’s land. ©Etienne Begouen / Canopée

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An Indigenous man who was born uncontacted in the Indonesian rainforest has traveled to Europe for the first time to lobby French mining giant Eramet over its destruction of his people’s land.

Ngigoro is a member of the Hongana Manyawa people of Halmahera Island. Extensive nickel mining is rapidly destroying his people’s rainforest – around 500 other members of the tribe are uncontacted and desperately trying to avoid the bulldozers.

Ngigoro and protesters from Survival International and Canopée demonstrated today outside the Eramet HQ –  the company operates the world’s biggest nickel mine, on Hongana Manyawa land. The mine is part of an Indonesian government project aimed at producing nickel for electric car batteries.  

Dewi and Ngigoro, Indigenous people from Halmahera Island, Indonesia, at a protest outside the HQ of mining giant Eramet. ©Survival

Weda Bay Nickel, a company part-owned by Eramet, has by far the largest mining concession on the island and more than three-quarters of that concession overlaps with the territories of uncontacted Hongana Manyawa people.

Eramet have publicly denied the existence of uncontacted Hongana Manyawa people within their concession, despite the fact that leaked reports commissioned by the company reveal they have known about their presence since at least 2013.

Dewi Anakoda, an Indigenous Tobelo woman from Halmahera, Indonesia, at the protest outside Eramet's HQ. ©Etienne Begouen / Canopée

Ngigoro said today: “I have come all the way to France to tell Eramet and the French government that they must stop the mining in the Hongana Manyawa’s forest. If they don’t stop the mining, my uncontacted relatives will die. The companies are getting rich from our deaths. When the world finds out that they are stealing our land, the companies will feel shame.”

Survival International Director Caroline Pearce said today: “To Eramet, this might look like an exciting and profitable venture - but to the Indigenous Hongana Manyawa, it’s the destruction of their forest home, and a death sentence for those who are uncontacted. That’s why Ngigoro has traveled thousands of miles from his island home to Europe: to tell Eramet that this catastrophe facing his people is far more important than their bottom line.

“Like many Indigenous peoples, the Hongana Manyawa are true environmentalists, stewarding and protecting their forest for thousands of years. Like many others, they are now under attack by extractive industries plundering their land. The fact that this is being done to advance a supposedly sustainable industry – electric cars – is a bitter irony that does nothing to lessen the appalling danger to the Hongana Manyawa.”

Demonstrators denounce Eramet for destroying the rainforest of uncontacted Hongana Manyawa people. ©Etienne Begouen / Canopée