2 weeks ago
Johannesburg — The authorities of nan Democratic Republic of Congo has threatened U.S. tech elephantine Apple pinch ineligible action complete what it says are "illegally exploited" minerals from nan impoverished federation successful its products. U.S. and French lawyers representing nan DRC's authorities sent a missive to Apple connected April 22 informing nan institution it could look ineligible action if it continues pinch nan alleged practice.
The missive accuses Apple of purchasing minerals smuggled retired of nan DRC into Rwanda, wherever their root is allegedly obscured truthful they tin find their measurement into nan world exertion proviso chain. It makes clear that nan DRC authorities intends to reside nan matter and is looking into ineligible options to do so.
The missive sent by nan lawyers to Apple CEO Tim Cook includes a database of questions laying retired nan DRC's concerns complete alleged "blood minerals" successful Apple's proviso chain, and it demands answers wrong 3 weeks. Similar letters, seen by CBS News, were besides sent to 2 of Apple's subsidiaries successful France, demanding answers successful nan aforesaid timeframe.
An Aug. 17, 2012 record photograph shows a Congolese man digging for cassiterite, nan superior ore of tin, astatine a excavation successful nan eastbound Democratic Republic of Congo.
Marc Hofer/AP
"Apple has affirmed that it verifies nan origins of minerals it uses to manufacture its products," nan missive notes. "It says that nan tin, tungsten, tantalum — nan 3Ts — and golden that its suppliers acquisition are conflict free and do not finance war. But those claims do not look to beryllium based connected concrete, verifiable evidence."
Amsterdam & Partners, nan rule patient representing nan DRC government, has written a 53-page study outlining nan claims against Apple, entitled "Blood Minerals: Everyone sees nan massacres successful Eastern Congo, but everyone is silent. The laundering of DRC's 3T Minerals by Rwanda and by backstage entities."
In their missive to Apple, nan lawyers said that successful nan process of preparing their report, "it has go clear to america that twelvemonth aft year, Apple has sold exertion made pinch minerals originated from a region whose organization is being devastated by sedate violations of quality rights. The iPhones, Mac computers and accessories that Apple sells to its customers astir nan world trust connected proviso chains that are excessively opaque, and that are tainted by nan humor of nan Congolese people."
Apple did not straight reply to immoderate questions sent by CBS News astir really it traces captious minerals successful its proviso concatenation each nan measurement backmost to nan crushed from wherever they're sourced. In its response, Apple indicated that third-party entities transportation retired nan verification activity connected behalf of nan company.
A Miner holds tantalum stones successful Numbi, successful South Kivu Province, Democratic Republic of Congo, successful an April 28, 2010 record photo.
Kuni Takahashi/Getty
In its connection to CBS News, Apple said: "Every smelter and refiner successful our proviso concatenation participated successful independent, 3rd statement minerals audits for tin, tungsten, tantalum and gold. And erstwhile we spot an rumor we act, past twelvemonth we removed 14 refiners and smelters from our proviso chain."
"While we're proud to beryllium recognized arsenic leaders successful responsible sourcing, we understand our activity is ne'er done," Apple said.
The institution noted a statement from its astir caller annual conflict minerals report, which said that based connected its third-party audit and traceability programs, "we recovered nary reasonable ground for concluding that immoderate of nan smelters aliases refiners of 3TG wished to beryllium successful our proviso concatenation arsenic of December 31, 2023 straight aliases indirectly financed aliases benefited equipped groups successful nan DRC aliases an adjoining country."
The DRC's mineral-rich Great Lakes region has been mired successful unit since warfare collapsed retired successful nan 1990s. In precocious 2021, a group called nan March 23 Movement, aliases nan M23 rebels, emerged arsenic a rising player among nan warring section militias.
Getty/iStockphoto
The United Nations, galore Western governments and nan DRC each impeach Rwanda's authorities of backing M23 successful a bid to power and utilization their overmuch larger eastbound neighbor's immense mineral resources.
A Rwandan authorities spokeswoman, Yolande Makolo, was quoted Friday by nan French news agency AFP arsenic calling nan DRC's claims of captious minerals being smuggled done Rwanda, "a rehashing of baseless allegations and conjecture."
The exploitation of nan DRC's resources is not a caller story. A CBS News investigation successful 2018 followed nan analyzable proviso concatenation of cobalt mined successful nan DRC. It recovered children moving successful nan mines location to extract nan cobalt, a cardinal mineral constituent successful modern batteries for virtually each cellphones, laptops, electrical vehicles and a scope of different ubiquitous gadgets.
"Words don't comprehend nan enormity of what is happening successful nan DRC, and it's not an rumor that tin beryllium near without a result," Robert Amsterdam, 1 of nan lawyers representing nan DRC government, told CBS News. "We person to situation what is really a world large dishonesty — that someway a state for illustration Rwanda, which is mineral poor, tin beryllium responsible for exporting these monolithic quantities."
"The DRC is sitting connected a adjacent monopoly of nan captious ingredients of nan greenish revolution," Amsterdam added. "The DRC president was reelected precocious and nan rumor of getting nan minerals correct is 1 of nan cardinal planks he is going to pursue."
Amsterdam said that while Apple is not nan only awesome tech institution suspected of utilizing unethically originated minerals successful its hardware, nan suit singled nan U.S. tech elephantine retired because it "prides itself connected rule and morality — and they mightiness person nan courageousness to do what is right. This is not conscionable an rumor of lawsuit, but sovereignty."
"We person listed very precise questions to Apple, and past we will look astatine various judicial options successful nan U.S. and France," different lawyer connected nan team, Paris-based William Bourdon, told CBS News astir nan adjacent steps.
"It is precedent-setting, successful galore ways, arsenic nan [DRC] authorities has decided astatine nan highest level that they person to bring accountability to bear," said Amsterdam.
Bourdon said he was not alert of immoderate different authorities considering akin ineligible action complete a world proviso concatenation issue.
"It's unprecedented," he said. "This is simply a very large deal, which we are conscionable astatine nan opening of. Expect much to beryllium coming."
- In:
- Democratic Republic of Congo
- War
- Africa
- Gold Mining
- Rwanda
- Apple
- iPad
- iPhone
