Indigenous and civil groups sue Indonesian government over Kalimantan wildfires

September 21, 2026 at 02:14 PM3 min

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A coalition of indigenous and civil society groups filed a class-action lawsuit on September 17 at Pontianak District Court against the Indonesian government over its handling of wildfires in West Kalimantan. The lawsuit names President Prabowo Subianto, Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka, and other senior officials, accusing them of deliberate negligence. Nearly 900,000 hectares have burned across Indonesia since January, with the fire season expected to peak in September and October.

Key Facts

The lawsuit was filed on September 17 at Pontianak District Court by a coalition called Nafas Kalimantan Barat.
The plaintiffs include the West Kalimantan chapter of the Indigenous Peoples Alliance of the Archipelago, Laman Puyung Indonesia, West Kalimantan Catholic Youth leadership, and activist Sisilius Rami.
The lawsuit names President Prabowo Subianto, Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka, the national police chief, the head of BNPB, and the governor and police chief of West Kalimantan, among others.
Nearly 900,000 hectares have burned across Indonesia since January, according to Nusantara Atlas.
Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni warned that September could be when the real battle begins due to an extreme El Niño pattern.

The Lawsuit

The class action was filed on September 17 at Pontianak District Court by a coalition of civil groups known as Nafas Kalimantan Barat. The plaintiffs include the West Kalimantan chapter of the Indigenous Peoples Alliance of the Archipelago, environmental group Laman Puyung Indonesia, and the leadership of the West Kalimantan Catholic Youth, as well as citizen-activist Sisilius Rami. The lawsuit names President Prabowo Subianto, Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka, the national police chief, and the head of the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB), as well as the governor and police chief of West Kalimantan, and the ministries of health, forestry, and environment. It accuses them of deliberate negligence for failing to prevent and properly handle the ongoing wildfires, arguing that the disaster has overwhelmed provincial capacity. The suit seeks a court order forcing the government to declare a national disaster, which would enable greater financial assistance for affected areas.

Fire Season

Since January, nearly 900,000 hectares have been burned across Indonesia, according to data from Nusantara Atlas, which tracks fires and deforestation in Asia. This falls short of the 2.6 million hectares destroyed in 2015 and the 1.65 million hectares consumed in 2019, but Nusantara Atlas stated that burning usually accelerates in August and peaks during September and October. As of July 20, cumulative hotspot activity in 2026 was above every previous year at the same point in the season. Indonesian Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni has warned that with a particularly extreme El Niño climate pattern only now starting to peak, September could be when the real battle begins.

Public Health Impact

Glorio Sanen, the lawyer representing the plaintiffs, told the Jakarta Post that the spillover effects of peatland and forest fires in West Kalimantan, particularly the choking air pollution, continue to threaten public health and damage the environment. Photos from Kalimantan have shown a thick, sepia-toned haze shrouding streets and obscuring cities, schoolchildren wearing masks at their desks, and rescuers giving oxygen to smoke-affected orangutans.