The Democratic Republic of Congo has filed criminal complaints in France and Belgium against subsidiaries of the tech giant Apple, accusing it of using conflict minerals.
Acting on behalf of the Congolese government, lawyers have argued that Apple is complicit in crimes committed by armed groups that control some of the mines in the east of DR Congo.
Apple has said it “strongly disputes” the claims and that it is “deeply committed to responsible sourcing” of minerals.
The authorities in France and Belgium will now look at whether there is enough evidence to take the legal action further.
In a statement, the lawyers for the DR Congo talked about Apple’s supply chain being contaminated with “blood minerals”.
They allege that the tin, tantalum and tungsten is taken from conflict areas and then “laundered through international supply chains”.
“These activities have fuelled a cycle of violence and conflict by financing militias and terrorist groups and have contributed to forced child labour and environmental devastation.”
Apple rejected the accusations saying it holds its “suppliers to the highest standards in industry”.
A spokesman told the BBC: “As conflict in the region escalated earlier this year we notified our suppliers that their smelters and refiners must suspend sourcing tin, tantalum, tungsten, and gold from the DRC and Rwanda.
“We took this action because we were concerned it was no longer possible for independent auditors or industry certification mechanisms to perform the due diligence required to meet our high standards.”
The east of DR Congo is a major source of minerals and the global thirst for them has fuelled wars there for decades.
Rights groups have long alleged that large quantities of minerals from legitimate mines, as well as from facilities run by armed groups, are transported to neighbouring Rwanda and end up in our phones and computers.
Rwanda has in the past described the Congolese government’s legal action against Apple as a media stunt.
It has denied selling any conflict minerals to the tech company.