The government of the Democratic Republic of Congo has accused Apple of using “forbidden” minerals from the east of the country in its products, the African country’s representative said on Thursday.
DRK’s lawyers said they could issue an official notice to Apple and warn the tech giant if the practice continues, seen by AFP.
Paris-based DRC lawyers accused Apple of buying minerals smuggled from the DRC into neighboring Rwanda, laundered and “joined the global supply chain”.
Contacted by AFP, Apple pointed to the claim in its 2023 annual report that conflict minerals are considered important for a variety of high-tech products. Until December 31, 2023, all 3TG (tin, tantalum, tungsten, and gold) smelters or refiners intend to directly or indirectly finance or benefit armed groups in the DRC or adjacent countries, it said.
The mineral-rich Great Lakes region of the CIS has been plagued by violence since regional wars in the 1990s, and tensions escalated in late 2021 when the March 23 Movement (M23) rebels seized large swathes of territory.
The DRC, the UN and Western countries have accused Rwanda of supporting rebel groups, including M23, to control the region’s vast mineral resources, a charge Kigali denies.
“Apple sells technology made from minerals from regions whose populations have been ravaged by serious human rights abuses,” said a DRC lawyer.
Sexual violence, armed attacks and widespread corruption in areas that supply Apple with minerals are some of the claims that have even been made.
DRC lawyers say that Macs, iPhones and other Apple products are “contaminated with the blood of the Congolese people”.
