Halmahera–Paris: Ngigoro's cry against the "nickel rush" that threatens his people

His hunter-gatherer people are witnessing their territory and culture collapse under the pressure of the nickel boom, destined for batteries in the energy transition. At 64, Ngigoro, a member of the Hongana Manyawa community, left the island of Halmahera, Indonesia, for the first time to come to Paris and plead with France to halt the expansion of the giant Weda Bay mine, partly controlled by Eramet.

Ngigoro, an elder of the Hongana Manyawa tribe, which numbers around 3,500 members, including 500 "unconnected" individuals, traveled from Halmahera Island (the largest island in the Moluccas archipelago in Indonesia) to Paris to plead with France to halt nickel mining at Weda Bay, the world's largest nickel mine. The 64-year-old, born on the banks of the Tofu Bleuwen River, denounced the water pollution, the disappearance of wildlife, and the massive deforestation caused by the facility, which is operated by Eramet (a French company with a 27% stake) and Tsingshan. "Please stop nickel mining, or my people will die," he declared, emphasizing that the forest is vital to their survival.

Environmental and human impacts: Since 2019, the mine has already cleared 2,000 hectares of rainforest across 50,000 hectares , with a demand to triple production (36 million tons in 2023) threatening an additional 5,000 hectares. The Hongana Manyawa, nomadic hunter-gatherers, see their rivers polluted and their game frightened by explosives, risking cultural and health extinction. Satellite images reveal the drastic transformation of the landscape between 2016 and 2022.

Actions in Paris and responses: Accompanied by the NGOs Survival International and Canopée, Ngigoro met with LFI (France Unbowed) MP Bastien Lachaud, demonstrated in front of Eramet's headquarters, and contacted French ministries. Eramet claims to be engaging in dialogue with the indigenous people and minimizing the impacts, but shifts the blame for the tripling of production onto Indonesia; the NGOs are demanding sanctuary zones. This cry of alarm comes amid a nickel boom for electric batteries, pitting the energy transition against indigenous rights. Ngigoro, who had never left his island of Halmahera , having traveled 12,000 kilometers to save his people, would have liked to meet Emmanuel Macron, but His Excellency Jupiter did not deign to. What is the value of the lives of 3,500 nomadic hunter-gatherers compared to the "energy needs" of the sovereign start-up nation ? According to an unverifiable source, the occupant of the Élysée Palace reportedly sent a simple text message: "Hands off my nickel."

The writing of humanities

• "We are the Hongana Manyawa. We defend the forests and mountains because we consider them our family." From the Survival International website: https://www.survivalinternational.fr/peuples/honganamanyawa

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