Apple is accused by the Democratic Republic of Congo of using conflict minerals

In the statement, externalLawyers from DR Congo spoke of contamination of Apple’s supply chain with “blood minerals”.

They claim that tin, tantalum and tungsten are taken from conflict zones and then “laundered through international supply chains”.

“These activities fueled the cycle of violence and conflict by funding militias and terrorist groups, and contributed to forced child labor and environmental degradation.”

Apple has denied the accusations, saying it “holds its suppliers to the highest standards in the industry.”

A spokesperson told the BBC: “As the conflict in the region escalated earlier this year, we have told our suppliers that their smelters and refineries must stop supplying tin, tantalum, tungsten and gold from the DRC and Rwanda.

“We took this step because we were concerned that it was no longer possible for independent auditors or industry certification mechanisms to do the due diligence to meet our high standards.”

Eastern DR Congo is a major source of minerals, and the global thirst for them has fueled decades of wars there.

Rights groups have long argued that large quantities of minerals from legal mines, as well as facilities controlled by armed groups, are being transported to neighboring Rwanda and ending up on our phones and computers.

Rwanda has previously described the Congolese government’s legal action against Apple as a media fraud.

He denied selling any conflict minerals to the tech company.