Novenia Ambeau

Novenia Ambeua is an Indigenous woman human rights defender, defending the rights of the Indigenous Peoples of the Tobelo Boeng Helewo Ruru and Togutil/O Hongana Manyawa communities on Halmahera Island, Indonesia. She has worked to prevent the expansion of nickel mining corporations and the effects thereof.

In response to the dispossession of indigenous lands and the criminalisation of members of the Tobelo Indigenous Community, she mobilized the communities in an effort to prevent the expansion of mines byorganising public discussions, peaceful demonstrations, and traditional rituals in the forest.

In 2022, Novenia also brought the communities face to face with the Regent of East Halmahera and the Governor of North Maluku Province to ask for the fulfilment of their rights. The following year, Novenia was reported to the police by one of the nickel companies, PT Mega Haltim Mineral, where the case has stalled, with no follow-up to date.