The Great Nicobar project has faced criticism from genocide experts who warn that the Shompen people face genocide if the project proceeds.

Shompen people on Great Nicobar Island

A key UN body has urged the Indian government to suspend the controversial Great Nicobar project. It’s a major blow to the scheme’s reputation.

The UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) called on India to:

suspend the implementation of the projects on the Great Nicobar and Andaman Islands until a full and independent environmental, economic, social, cultural and spiritual impact study has been completed.

The planned $10bn project includes:

  • A mega-port.
  • A new city.
  • An international airport.
  • A power station.
  • A military base.
  • An industrial park.
  • Up to 650,000 settlers.

It would devastate the uncontacted Indigenous Shompen people who live on Great Nicobar Island.

The UN body also highlighted the “lack of measures taken to address the concerns” over:

adverse impacts of the development projects on Great Nicobar and Andaman Islands, which threaten the survival of various vulnerable Indigenous / Tribal Peoples, particularly those living in voluntary isolation.

In its response to CERD, the Indian government admitted that, because the Shompen are uncontacted, it was impossible to consult them about the project, let alone obtain their Free, Prior and Informed Consent, as is required under international law.

The Great Nicobar project has already faced heavy criticism from a wide range of experts. These include 39 international genocide experts, who warned in 2024 that the Shompen face genocide if the project proceeds.

CERD also expressed concerns about the long-standing practice in India of evicting Indigenous peoples from their lands to turn them into tiger reserves. The committee called on India to suspend the forced evictions and instead enact:

a human rights-based approach to conservation that recognises Indigenous / Tribal Peoples as custodians of biodiversity.

Survival International’s director Caroline Pearce said:

The UN has now joined the powerful chorus of voices raised against the Great Nicobar project. All the independent experts who have looked at this have warned that it will be disastrous for the Shompen.

No argument about potential economic benefits can justify inflicting a genocide. The Indian government, and interested corporations like the Adani Group, must listen and abandon this devastating scheme.

Featured image via Survival International / Anthropological Survey of India

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