Lawyers claim that DR Congo is pressuring Apple over the supply chain for minerals

International attorneys hired by the Democratic Republic of the Congo said on Thursday that the country is pressing Apple Inc. for details on its supply chain due to worries that conflict minerals obtained from the nation may taint it.

Since the 1990s, the Congo, especially its eastern area, has been beset by violence, killing millions as neighboring nations invaded and a plethora of armed groups emerged due to conflicts over national identity, ethnicity, and resources.

Control over the illegal trade in gold, tin, and tantalum—all of which are mined in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and are smuggled out through neighboring Rwanda, Uganda, and Burundi—as well as coltan, which is widely used in computers and cell phones, has given rise to conflict.

Due to worries about illicit exports, Congo President Felix Tshisekedi met with international law firm Amsterdam & Partners LLP in September 2023 to look into the supply chain of tin, tungsten, and tantalum, or 3T minerals, the law firm claimed.

It claimed to have sent letters to Apple subsidiaries in France requesting responses within three weeks and to have informed Apple CEO Tim Cook of a number of inquiries based on concerns over the company’s supply chain on Monday.

“Although Apple has affirmed that it verifies the origins of minerals it uses to manufacture its products, those claims do not appear to be based on concrete, verifiable evidence,” Amsterdam stated in a statement on Thursday.

“The world’s eyes are wide shut: Rwanda’s production of key 3T minerals is near zero, and yet big tech companies say their minerals are sourced in Rwanda,” said the statement.

A request for comment via email was not immediately answered by Apple. The company has been transparently monitoring its suppliers for a number of years and disclosing its results. It does not directly buy, get, or source primary materials.

A report from the previous year stated that for all relevant Apple goods made in 2023, all identified smelters and refiners in the supply chain had taken part in an impartial third-party conflict minerals audit for 3T minerals and gold (3TG).

“We found no reasonable basis for concluding that any of the smelters or refiners of 3TG determined to be in our supply chain as of December 31, 2023 directly or indirectly financed or benefited armed groups in the DRC or an adjoining country,” the report from Apple stated.

The legal firm’s study, which accused Rwanda and private companies of transferring 3T and other conflict minerals from the Congo, was released at the same time as the Amsterdam declaration.

The governments of Rwanda and the Congo did not immediately reply to calls for comment.

After Rwanda, the Congo is the world’s top producer of tantalum. Additionally, it is the world’s top producer of cobalt and copper, two essential components of electric batteries.

The majority of Congo’s natural riches are found in its east, where unrest has increased following the M23 rebel group’s significant resurgence in March 2022.