Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has filed a criminal case against European subsidiaries of tech giant Apple, accusing them of illegally using “blood minerals” in its supply chain. The DRC alleges that Apple has bought contraband supplies from the country’s conflict-racked east and Rwanda, where materials are mined illegally and then integrated into global supply chains before ending up in tech devices.
Apple’s French and Belgian units are also accused of deploying deceptive commercial practices to persuade consumers that its supply chains were clean, according to a statement from lawyers representing the DRC. Complaints against Apple have been lodged in Paris and Brussels, encompassing allegations of war crimes, laundering, forgery, and deception.
The DRC’s Washington-based lawyer, Robert Amsterdam, described the case as a “first salvo” of judicial actions. “Color Apple red, and not green. It is a trillion-dollar company that must be assumed to know the consequences of its actions. Enough with denials of accountability and hiding behind the false narrative of supply chain defenses!” he said.
Paris-based lawyer William Bourdon stated that the criminal complaints are “a first step towards making one of the biggest players in tech accountable for its policy of endless enrichment at the cost of the most serious of crimes staining African supply chains.” Brussels lawyer Christophe Marchand added that these complaints are a matter of great public interest at a time when European countries, consumers, and non-governmental organizations are increasing their scrutiny of international supply chains.
The lawyers cited investigations by the United Nations, the US State Department, and international NGOs such as Global Witness to document the scale of the problem.
They have also written to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to inform her of the criminal complaints and to request a dialogue on the EU’s role in working towards accountability and an end to armed violence in sub-Saharan Africa’s mineral supply chains.
Apple has denied the allegations, asserting that it has “no reasonable basis for concluding” its products contain illegally exported minerals from conflict-hit zones. The company insists it carefully verifies the origin of materials in its output.
Rwanda has also dismissed the allegations as unfounded. “This is just the latest blow by the DRC government, which is constantly seeking to divert attention to Rwanda with false accusations,” Rwandan government spokeswoman Yolande Makolo told AFP.
DR Congo’s mineral-rich east has been racked by violence since the 1990s, with tensions worsening since a renewed offensive in late 2021 of Rwandan-backed M23 rebels in the DRC province of North Kivu.
Kinshasa has accused Rwanda of using M23 to take control of resource-rich eastern DRC.
