AFRICA/DR CONGO – The DRC’s complaint against Apple raises the issue of ethics in international trade

AFRICA/DR CONGO – The DRC’s complaint against Apple raises the issue of ethics in international trade

Kinshasa (Agenzia Fides) – The government of Kinshasa has filed a lawsuit against Apple in France and Belgium, accusing the company of using components derived from minerals illegally mined in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to manufacture its products. The American group rejected this accusation and said in a statement that it “firmly denies the allegations made by the Democratic Republic of Congo”. “At Apple, we are strongly committed to responsible sourcing and demand the highest industry standards from our suppliers,” said Apple.

At the heart of the dispute are the minerals tantalum, tungsten and tin (see Fides, 1/2/2023), which are used to make components for everyday objects such as smartphones, tablets and computers or to manufacture high-tech systems including weapons systems. The lawsuit filed by the authorities in Kinshasa against the multinational indirectly puts Rwanda in the crosshairs, which the Democratic Republic of Congo accuses of illegally plundering the mineral resources in the east of the country and facilitating the export of minerals extracted in illegal mines, often controlled by armed groups. Without the logistical link through Rwanda, Kinshasa says, minerals extracted illegally from the Democratic Republic of Congo would have a harder time reaching international markets. As the Congolese human rights activist Pierre Kabeza said (see Fides, 26/1/2023), the exploitation of Congolese resources “can be described as a tree whose roots cannot be seen. The roots, in our case, are the great powers of the world and their multinational companies. The trunk of the tree are the neighboring countries of the Democratic Republic of Congo (Rwanda and Uganda), supported by the great powers, and finally the branches are the various guerrilla groups operating on Congolese territory. The sap that feeds the tree is economic interests” (see Fides, 26/1/2023).

Rwanda, which itself has few natural resources, has been courted by the European Union, with which it has signed a memorandum of understanding on the sustainability and traceability of strategic minerals, strongly criticized by associations working for peace in Congo (see Fides, 8/3/2024). The issue of supply chains for essential materials for modern industry, including “green” energy, is of key importance for all world powers and global companies, but there is a risk of the rights of the people where these resources are extracted being pushed into the background. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides, 19/12/2024)

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