UN Committee on Racial Discrimination (CERD) Raises Concerns Over Nickel Mining Threats to the O’Hongana Manyawa in Voluntary Isolation

Forest Peoples Programme welcomes a formal letter issued by the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) dated 19 January 2026 under its Early Warning and Urgent Action procedure concerning the situation of the O’Hongana Manyawa Indigenous Peoples, including those living in voluntary isolation, in Halmahera, North Maluku, Indonesia.  

In its letter sent to the Government of Indonesia, CERD confirms receipt of a detailed submission from concerned parties a civil society coalition alleging that expanding, State-sanctioned nickel mining and related industrial activities is encroaching on O’Hongana Manyawa territories and placing those living in voluntary isolation at imminent risk of irreparable harm, including threats to life, health, and cultural survival. 

In their submission, the coalition of seventeen Indonesian and international civil society organisations called on CERD to act under its early warning and urgent action procedure and recommend that the government:  

• suspend operations in mapped territories and buffers;
• freeze new licensing affecting those areas;  
• deploy protection measures, not security forces, guided by no-contact protocols;
• and enact legislation recognising and safeguarding peoples in voluntary isolation and their territories. 

CERD states that it is concerned that the allegations, if verified, would amount to violations of rights protected under the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD).  

The Committee expresses particular concern “about the reported lack of official recognition of the O’Hongana Manyawa as Indigenous Peoples [… and], the lack of legal frameworks to protect the rights of Indigenous Peoples, particularly in relation to the adverse impacts caused by the mining and exploration projects on their rights to health, to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment, as well as to own, develop, control and use their communal lands, territories and resources”. 

In accordance with Article 9(1) of the Convention, CERD requested that Indonesia provide detailed information addressing these allegations by 17 April 2026, and it reiterated its request for the submission of Indonesia’s long-overdue periodic reports under ICERD. 

In light of CERD’s communication, the coalition of seventeen Indonesian and international civil society organisations reiterate its call on Indonesia to urgently demonstrate compliance with its international human rights obligations by: 

1. Immediately suspending activities on the lands of the O’Hongana Manyawa that could threaten their physical and cultural survival and impedes their enjoyment of their economic, social and cultural rights;
2. Revoking any concessions that have been granted in breach of international human rights law over the lands of the O’Hongana Manyawa;
3. Recognising and titling O’Hongana Manyawa ancestral lands and protecting them from third-party encroachment, including by State officials and security forces;
4. Adopting a precautionary approach in all decisions that may affect the lands, resources, mobility, or livelihoods of O’Hongana Manyawa;
5. Refraining from issuing any further concessions in O’Hongana Manyawa territories without their free, prior, and informed consent (FPIC) and recognising that peoples in voluntary isolation have opted for non-contact, which must be respected;
6. Establishing and enforcing no-go zones (intangible protection areas) for groups in voluntary isolation and initial contact, where outside access and economic activity is forbidden, as well as buffer zones surrounding them that prohibit any entry, or activities (including mining, logging, infrastructure development, and other industrial activities) inside the zone, and respect O’Hongana Manyawa mobility patterns. adopting clear access protocols, penalties, and independent monitoring;
7. Enacting dedicated legislation that recognises the unique legal status and rights of indigenous peoples in voluntary isolation and initial contact, based on non-invasive methodologies and no-contact principles; and
8. Investigating without delay illegal encroachment, intimidation, and other abuses in O’Hongana Manyawa territories, identifying and sanctioning those responsible, clarifying the circumstances, and publicly reporting on the findings. 

The signatory organisations urge Indonesia to engage in good faith with CERD and to take immediate steps to prevent irreversible harm to one of the last Indigenous Peoples living in voluntary isolation in Indonesia. 

Signatory organisations: 

AMAN; Auriga Nusantara; JATAM; KontraS; ELSAM; PPMAN; TuK Indonesia; WALHI Maluku Utara; Yayasan Ambeau Helewe Ruru; YMKL; Yayasan Pusaka Bentala Rakyat; Asia Indigenous Peoples Pact (AIPP); Canopée – Forêts Vivantes; Climate Rights International; Forest Peoples Programme; London Mining Network; Survival International.