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00:00The Democratic Republic of Congo sued Apple in France and Belgium Monday.
00:07It accused the firm of being complicit in the conflict minerals trade.
00:11Congo and Central Africa is a major source of tin, tantalum and tungsten, the so-called
00:173T minerals used in computers and mobile phones.
00:21But some independent mines are run by armed groups.
00:24The UN says they've been involved in massacres of civilians, mass rapes and other crimes.
00:30Lawyers for the state of Congo argue Apple uses minerals pillaged from Congo and laundered
00:36through international supply chains, which renders Apple complicit in crimes.
00:41The tech giant says it audits suppliers, publishes findings and funds bodies that seek to improve
00:47mineral traceability.
00:49Its 2023 filing on conflict minerals to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission said
00:54none of the smelters or refiners of 3T minerals in its supply chain had financed or benefited
01:00armed groups in Congo or neighboring countries.
01:03Now these are thought to be the Congolese state's first criminal complaints against
01:07a major tech company.
01:08The allegations, ranging from covering up war crimes to the laundering of tainted minerals
01:14and deceptive commercial practices, don't only target Apple's European subsidiaries,
01:19but the group as a whole.
01:21Central to Congo's complaints are its criticisms of a metals industry-funded Monitoring and
01:26Certification Scheme, ITSCI, which helps companies like Apple perform due diligence on suppliers
01:33of 3T minerals from African countries.
01:36Lawyers say Apple has been using it as a fig leaf to falsely present its supply chain as
01:41clean.