Congo Files Lawsuit Against Apple for Plundering Minerals

According to SaedNews, the Democratic Republic of Congo has filed criminal complaints against Apple and its subsidiaries in France and Belgium, alleging that the tech giant uses minerals from conflict zones in its supply chain. The Congolese government's lawyers announced this to Reuters. Congo is the primary source of tin, tantalum, and tungsten, known as 3T minerals, which are used in computers and mobile phones. However, UN experts and human rights groups report that some traditional mines are controlled by armed groups involved in civilian massacres, mass rapes, plundering, and other crimes.

In parallel complaints filed on Monday with the Paris prosecutor's office and the Belgian investigative office, Congo accuses Apple's local subsidiaries in France and Belgium of various crimes. These include concealing war crimes, laundering tainted minerals, buying and selling stolen property, and engaging in deceptive business practices to assure consumers that their supply chains are clean.

"It is clear that the Apple group, Apple France, and Apple Retail France are well aware that their mineral supply chain depends on systematic violations." This statement is made in the French complaint, referencing UN and human rights reports on the conflict in eastern Congo. Christophe Marchand, the Congolese lawyer in Belgium, stated that Belgium has a particular moral obligation to act because the plundering of Congo's resources began during the colonial rule of King Leopold II in the 19th century. He said, "It is Belgium's duty to help Congo by using judicial tools to end the plundering."

These complaints, prepared by lawyers on behalf of Congo's justice minister, present charges not only against the local subsidiaries but also against the entire Apple group.