Congo sues Apple over ‘blood minerals’

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has accused Apple of covering up war crimes in lawsuits filed against the tech giant in Europe.

The criminal complaints lodged in France and Belgium allege that Apple is using conflict minerals, often referred to as “blood minerals,” in its supply chain.

According to Le Monde, the lawsuits, filed by international lawyers on behalf of the Congolese government, also accuse Apple of laundering and deceptive consumer practices.

More companies could soon face similar legal action, with lawsuits potentially filed in other countries, but Apple is “one of the most symbolic targets,” the lawyers told the French newspaper.

DR Congo is one of the world’s largest sources of tin, tantalum, and tungsten, the so-called 3T minerals that are used in computers and mobile phones.

However, parts of its mining industry are unregulated and run by armed groups, with reports of child labor, massacres of civilians, and mass rapes.

Under laws like the Dodd-Frank Act in the United States, companies are required to disclose efforts to source minerals responsibly and ensure they are not funding conflicts.

The illegal trade of minerals, often smuggled from DR Congo via neighboring Rwanda, is one of the main drivers of the armed conflict in the region.

Apple does not directly source primary minerals and says it has auditing mechanisms to ensure responsible sourcing. The company publishes annual reports on its supply chain efforts.

In a 2023 filing with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission, the company said that none of the smelters or refineries of 3T minerals or gold in its supply chain were “directly or indirectly financed or benefited” armed groups in DR Congo or Rwanda.

However, according to Reuters, the lawyers representing DR Congo argue that Apple uses minerals pillaged from the country and laundered through international supply chains, which they say makes the company complicit in the crimes.

France and Belgium were chosen to file the complaints because of their perceived strong emphasis on corporate responsibility, while Belgium also had a “particular moral duty” to act because of the looting of DR Congo’s resources during the 19th-century rule of its King Leopold II, the lawyer said.

The US federal court rejected an unrelated case earlier this year in March that accused Apple, Google, Tesla, Dell, and Microsoft of using cobalt from mines in Congo that employed children.