Thousands refuse evacuation despite Indonesia's volcano eruptions

Thousands of people have declined a government-led evacuation in eastern Indonesia where a volcano has been spewing smoke and ash, arguing that they are accustomed to the eruptions.

Mount Ibu, located on the remote island of Halmahera in North Maluku province, erupted on Wednesday, sending a column of smoke up to four kilometres (2.5 miles) into the sky.

The volcano's alert status was immediately raised to the highest level by Indonesia's Geological Agency, prompting local authorities to call for the evacuation of 3,000 people living in six villages.

"So far, only one village has been evacuated, while people in the remaining five villages have refused to evacuate," said a spokesman for the local disaster management agency, Irfan Idrus.

He added that the residents who chose to stay argued they were used to Mount Ibu's eruptions.

As of Thursday morning, 517 residents from the village closest to the volcano had been evacuated.

According to a reporter, residents went about their daily activities in their respective villages as trucks waited to move them to safe areas.

"We are already accustomed to the eruptions of Mount Ibu, and so far, there has been no impact on our village. That is why we do not want to be evacuated," said 43-year-old resident of Todoke village, Milka Sehe.

Irfan, the disaster management official, said: "We will continue to coordinate with the local officials and community leaders to ensure that the residents of the five villages are evacuated, as they are within the restricted zone".

Volcanic activity escalates

Mount Ibu, which has shown a significant increase in volcanic activity since last June, continued to erupt multiple times on Thursday, as its peak was covered with thick smoke rising as high as 400 metres above its summit.

In the first weeks of January alone, the volcano, one of Indonesia's most active, erupted at least nine times.

Residents living near Mount Ibu and tourists have been advised to avoid a five to six-kilometre exclusion zone around the volcano's peak and to wear face masks in case of falling ash.

As of 2022, around 700,000 people were living on Halmahera island, according to official data.

Indonesia, a vast archipelago, experiences frequent seismic and volcanic activity as it lies along the Pacific Ring of Fire.

Last November, Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki, a 1,703-metre (5,587-foot) twin-peaked volcano on the tourist island of Flores erupted more than a dozen times in one week, killing nine people in its initial explosion.

Mount Ruang in North Sulawesi province erupted more than half a dozen times last year, forcing thousands from nearby islands to evacuate.