The Democratic Republic of Congo has filed criminal charges in France and Belgium against subsidiaries of technology giant Apple, accusing them of using conflict minerals.
Lawyers on behalf of the Congolese government have argued that Apple is complicit in crimes committed by armed groups that control some of the mines in eastern DRC.
In his review of the issue in 2023Apple said it is monitoring its supply chain and working to mitigate risks and improve mineral source tracing measures.
Authorities in France and Belgium will now assess whether there is enough evidence to proceed with legal action.
In a statementDR Congo lawyers spoke of contamination of Apple’s supply chain with “blood minerals”.
They claim that tin, tantalum and tungsten are taken from conflict zones and then “laundered through international supply chains.”
“These activities have fueled a cycle of violence and conflict by funding militias and terrorist groups, and contributed to forced child labor and environmental degradation.”
Apple did not respond to a BBC request for comment, but in its report to the US Securities and Exchange Commission detailing its actions on the issue in 2023, the company highlights the actions which it has taken to ensure that it does not use conflict minerals.
“Although Apple does not directly purchase, source or source primary minerals, we are committed to meeting and exceeding internationally recognized standards of care for primary minerals and recycled materials in our supply chain,” it said.
Therefore, everyone involved in the supply chain must participate in an “independent third-party conflict minerals audit.” Apple said that in 2023 it removed 14 “smelters and refineries” that did not participate or did not meet responsible sourcing requirements.
Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo is an important source of minerals, and the global hunger for them has fueled wars there for decades.
Human rights groups have long alleged that large quantities of minerals from legitimate mines and armed group facilities are transported to neighboring Rwanda and end up in our phones and computers.
Rwanda has in the past described the Congolese government’s legal action against Apple as a media stunt.
It denied selling conflict minerals to the technology company.
