Congo’s government is questioning Apple concerning the tech firm’s data of “blood minerals” from a battle zone within the African nation that may very well be smuggled into its provide chains and is demanding solutions inside three weeks.
A gaggle of worldwide attorneys representing Congo mentioned Thursday that they despatched letters to Apple’s CEO Tim Cook and its French subsidiary this week, elevating considerations about human rights violations involving the minerals extracted from mines within the nation’s troubled east that may find yourself getting used within the firm’s merchandise.
AT LEAST 250,000 DISPLACED AS CONFLICTS RAGE ON IN THE CONGO
They included an inventory of questions difficult Apple to indicate the way it displays its provide chains in a area the place greater than 100 armed insurgent teams function, a few of whom have been accused of finishing up mass killings of civilians.
A Congolese miner sifts by floor rocks to separate out the cassiterite, the principle ore that’s processed into tin, within the city of Nyabibwe, jap Congo, Aug. 16, 2012. Congo’s authorities is questioning Apple concerning the tech firm’s data of “blood minerals” from a battle zone within the African nation that may very well be smuggled into provide chains. A gaggle of worldwide attorneys representing Congo mentioned Thursday, April 25, 2024, that it despatched letters to Apple’s CEO Tim Prepare dinner and its French subsidiary this week elevating considerations about human rights violations involving the minerals extracted from mines within the nation’s war-torn east. (AP Picture/Marc Hofer)
Writing to Prepare dinner, the attorneys mentioned “it has become clear to us that year after year, Apple has sold technology made with minerals sourced from a region whose population is being devastated by grave violations of human rights.”
“The iPhones, Mac computers and accessories that Apple sells to its customers around the world rely on supply chains that are too opaque, and that are tainted by the blood of the Congolese people,” the attorneys mentioned.
Eastern Congo is without doubt one of the most mineral-rich areas on the earth however can also be the positioning of an enormous humanitarian catastrophe, with the armed teams combating for years for management of the mines and the dear minerals in them, and hundreds of thousands of individuals displaced and affected by the worsening violence. The scenario has deteriorated badly in the previous couple of months.
Apple, which has a market worth of round $2.6 trillion, has denied utilizing minerals from mines and areas the place human rights violations happen, saying it conducts enterprise ethically and “responsibly” sources minerals in Congo and neighboring international locations.
The minerals it buys do not finance warfare or armed teams, it says. The attorneys for the Congo authorities mentioned “those claims do not appear to be based on concrete, verifiable evidence.”
The Congo authorities mentioned it has suspicions that a few of the tin, tungsten, tantalum and gold — often called the 3TG important minerals — that Apple sources from suppliers is smuggled out of Congo to neighboring Rwanda after which infiltrated into the worldwide provide chain. The 3TG minerals are key parts in electronics.
In response to a request for remark, Apple pointed to a bit from an organization submitting on battle minerals.
“Based on our due diligence efforts, including analyzing the information provided by third-party audit programs, upstream traceability programs, and our suppliers, 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 mentioned, utilizing the abbreviation for Democratic Republic of the Congo.
“In Congo, people have been dying for 30 years as a result of illegal mining,” Congo authorities spokesperson Patrick Muyaya mentioned. “We want clarification on the sources of supply for major technology companies, in particular Apple, to verify whether they are acquiring minerals produced in completely illegal conditions.”
He mentioned Rwanda “is presented” because the provider for lots of the minerals whereas having few reserves of its personal.
Congo has accused Rwanda of financing and directing the infamous armed insurgent group M23 in jap Congo to assist extract minerals illegally. The United Nations additionally says M23 is backed by Rwanda.
Rwanda denies that however tensions between the international locations are flaring, whereas M23 and different teams are accused of usually finishing up assaults that embrace the killing and raping of civilians, in accordance with Human Rights Watch.
The attorneys for the Congo authorities quoted a 2022 report by nonprofit group International Witness that claimed Apple had beforehand utilized “few meaningful mitigation measures” to keep away from utilizing smuggled minerals.
The Congo authorities was now in search of “effective redress” in opposition to “end-users of blood minerals” internationally, the attorneys mentioned.
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They requested Apple to answer questions over its provide chain controls inside three weeks and mentioned they’d compiled a report on “the laundering” of Congo’s minerals by Rwanda and personal entities that might be made public this month.
In addition they would search directions from the Congo authorities as to what authorized measures it’s contemplating in opposition to Apple, the letter mentioned.
