• The Democratic Republic of Congo reportedly questioned Apple, a technology manufacturing company, about its supply chain, raising concerns that it may be involved with minerals sourced from a conflicted area of the country.

• Rwanda has also allegedly been accused of being the location where big tech firms source their products, despite having a lower production scale than the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Rwanda was also accused of laundering 3T and other conflict minerals from Congo.

• In another report, Rwandan government spokeswoman Yolande Makolo refuted the claims, calling them a “rehashing of baseless allegations and conjecture, attempting to leverage media interest in one of the world’s largest companies.”

The spokeswoman said that the DRC always accuses Rwanda of making false claims. “This is just the latest stunt by the government of the DRC, who are constantly seeking to deflect attention onto Rwanda with false accusations,” she said.

Congo President Felix Tshisekedi collaborated with an international law firm in 2023 to investigate the supply chain of tin, tungsten, and tantalum-3T minerals, focusing on illegal exports.

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The law firm recently informed Apple’s CEO Tim Cook and its French subsidiaries of its concerns about the supply chain and demanded answers within three weeks.

“Although Apple has affirmed that it verifies the origins of minerals it uses to manufacture its products, those claims do not appear to be based on concrete, verifiable evidence,” the law firm said.

The lawyers also warned Apple that if the alleged practice continued, it could face legal action.

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On the other hand, Apple said, “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.”

Congo is said to be a global leader in tantalum production and copper and cobalt, both of which are used in electric batteries.

However, violence has erupted in eastern Congo over national identity, ethnicity, and resources. Control of the illicit trade in tin, gold, coltan, and tantalum, which are commonly used in cell phones and computers, is also a source of contention.