DR Congo accuses Apple of using conflict minerals happymamay

The Democratic Republic of the Congo has filed criminal complaints in France and Belgium against subsidiaries of tech giant Apple, accusing them of using conflict minerals.

On behalf of the Congolese government, the lawyers argued that Apple is complicit in crimes committed by armed groups that control some mines in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.

In its 2023 review of the matterApple said it is monitoring its supply chain and working to mitigate risks as well as improving procedures for tracking the source of metals.

Authorities in France and Belgium will now consider whether there is sufficient evidence to take further legal action.

In a statementDRC lawyers spoke of Apple’s supply chain being contaminated with “blood minerals.”

They claim that tin, tantalum and tungsten are taken from conflict areas 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 destruction.”

Apple did not respond to the BBC’s request for comment, but in its report to the US Securities and Exchange Commission detailing its actions on the issue in 2023, the company highlighted measures it has taken to ensure conflict minerals are not used.

“Although Apple does not purchase, procure or otherwise source primary metals directly, we are committed to meeting and exceeding internationally accepted due diligence standards regarding primary metals and recycled materials in our supply chain,” she said.

As a result, all participants in the supply chain are required to participate in an “independent third-party audit of conflict minerals.” Apple said that in 2023 it removed 14 “smelters and refineries” that would not participate or did not meet responsible sourcing requirements.

Eastern DRC is a major exporter of the mineral, and the global thirst for it has fueled wars there for decades.

Human rights groups have long claimed that large amounts of minerals extracted from legitimate mines, as well as from facilities run by armed groups, are transported to neighboring Rwanda and end up on our phones and computers.

Rwanda has in the past described the legal action taken by the Congolese government against Apple as a media stunt.

It denied selling any conflict minerals to the technology company.