Demand for EVs Drives Destruction of Uncontacted People

¹ Two uncontacted Hongana Manyawa men warn bulldozer operators to stay off their territory. Multiple similar videos prove unequivocally the presence of uncontacted Hongana Manyawa people in and around the nickel mining areas. ©Anon

A new report ² by Survival International has revealed that demand for electric vehicles is destroying uncontacted people’s lives and lands in Indonesia.

The report, published today, reveals:

• The uncontacted Indigenous Hongana Manyawa ³ people of Halmahera island in Indonesia, are facing a severe and immediate threat of genocide because mining nickel for use in electric vehicle batteries is destroying their rainforest home and puts them at risk of contracting deadly diseases.
• French mining company Eramet, which operates the largest mine on uncontacted Hongana Manyawa territory has known of the severe risks to the 500 uncontacted Indigenous people for more than 10 years. Eramet oversees the mining operations of Weda Bay Nickel (WBN), the largest nickel mine on Earth.
• According to its own reports, the company has been aware of uncontacted Hongana Manyawa in and around the WBN concession since at least 2013. In spite of this, the company continues to deny their presence, and has been mining on territory belonging to the uncontacted Hongana Manyawa since 2019.
• There are at least 19 mining companies operating on the territory of the uncontacted Hongana Manyawa, most mining for nickel.
• Mining in Halmahera is part of a major Indonesian government project to massively expand nickel mining to feed the global demand for electric vehicle batteries.
• The mining is not simply deadly, it is also a violation of international law. The uncontacted Hongana Manyawa have not given their Free, Prior and Informed Consent to the destruction of their forest and land, and are unable to give it.

Following intense lobbying from Survival International, German chemical giant BASF pulled out ⁴ in June from a $2.6 billion dollar project with Eramet to process nickel from Halmahera.

In recent months, as the miners pushed ever-deeper into Hongana Manyawa territory, a series of videos went viral, showing uncontacted Hongana Manyawa people resisting bulldozers operating on their territory, ⁵ or being forced out of the forest into mining camps. ⁶

⁷ Uncontacted Hongana Manyawa appear at a Weda Bay Nickel mining camp. The uncontacted Hongana Manyawa are becoming effectively forced to beg for food from the same companies destroying their rainforest home. ©Survival

Survival International’s Director Caroline Pearce said today: “It’s obscene that a nickel rush to fuel supposedly sustainable consumption is in fact on the verge of wiping out the uncontacted Indigenous Hongana Manyawa, who truly live sustainably.

“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’ – the only way to ensure the survival of the uncontacted Hongana Manyawa people.

“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, or from companies operating on (or sourcing from) the territories of uncontacted peoples, including the Hongana Manyawa.”

This content originally appeared on Dissident Voice ¹⁰ and was authored by Survival International.