The Democratic Republic of Congo has filed criminal complaints against Apple subsidiaries in France and Belgium, alleging the tech giant uses conflict minerals sourced from the country's artisanal mines. The DRC is a major producer of tin, tantalum, and tungsten, often mined by armed groups linked to human rights abuses. While Apple insists it audits suppliers and promotes ethical sourcing, the DRC argues that the company's supply chain facilitates the laundering of tainted minerals, making it complicit in crimes committed in Congo.
of Congo has filed criminal complaints against Apple subsidiaries in France and Belgium, accusing the tech firm of using conflict minerals in its supply chain , lawyers for the Congolese government said.
The DRC is a major source of tin, tantalum and tungsten, minerals used in computers and mobile phones In parallel complaints filed to the Paris prosecutor’s office and to a Belgian investigating magistrate’s office on Monday, the DRC accuses local subsidiaries Apple France, Apple Retail France and Apple Retail Belgium of a range of offences.
The complaints, prepared by the lawyers on behalf of Congo’s justice minister, make allegations not just against the local subsidiaries but against Apple as a whole.France and Belgium were chosen because of their perceived strong emphasis on corporate accountability. Judicial authorities in both nations will decide whether to investigate the complaints further and bring criminal charges.
Competition for minerals is one of the main drivers of conflict as armed groups sustain themselves and buy weapons with the proceeds of exports, often smuggled via Rwanda, according to UN experts and human rights organisations.Among the appendices to Congo’s legal complaint in France was a statement issued by the US state department in July, expressing concerns about the role of the illicit trade in minerals from Congo, including tantalum, in financing conflict.
The RMI, whose members include more than 500 companies, announced in 2022 it was removing ITSCI from its list of approved traceability schemes.In July this year, it said it was prolonging the suspension until at least 2026, saying ITSCI had not provided field observations from high-risk sites or explained how it was responding to an escalation of violence in North Kivu province, which borders Rwanda and is a key 3T mining area.
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