DRC files criminal lawsuit against Apple, accusing tech giant of covering up war crimes

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has filed a criminal lawsuit in France and Belgium against subsidiaries of the US multinational company Apple, accusing the tech giant of complicity in crimes committed by armed groups that control some of the mines in the east of the country.

Acting on behalf of the government in Kinshasa, lawyers have argued that Apple is accomplice in crimes committed by armed groups operating in these areas and that also exercise control over Apple’s supply chain being contaminated with “blood minerals”. The authorities in France and Belgium will now look at whether there is enough evidence to take the legal action further. The allegations against Apple reportedly include war crimes, laundering, forgery, and deception, and are also based on some evidence that the tech giant has bought contraband supplies from the conflict-ravaged eastern DRC and neighboring Rwanda.

Apple “strongly disputes” the claims, saying that it is “deeply committed to responsible sourcing” of minerals and that it holds its “suppliers to the highest standards in industry”. According to Apple’s spokesman, “as conflict in the region escalated earlier this year, we notified our suppliers that their smelters and refiners must suspend sourcing tin, tantalum, tungsten, and gold from the DRC and Rwanda.” The mineral-rich eastern DRC has been racked by violence between rebel groups and the Congolese army since the 1990s. UN experts and human rights groups have repeatedly alleged that some of the artisanal mines are run by armed groups involved in massacres of civilians, mass rapes, looting, and other crimes.