The Democratic Republic of Congo Accuses Apple

Flag of the Democratic Republic of Congo

Early this week, we shared the “Einstein Letter” signed by the Nobel Prize of Physics Albert Einstein and  addressed to the President of the United States F. Roosevelt talking about Uranium and its place in the energetic plan of the United States. It also highlighted the important place of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in this plan, today more than ever, given that the DRC is what many call a “geological scandal”, as first termed by Belgian geologist Jules Cornet in 1892, with all its minerals, some of which can only be found there.

Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) mineral map (Source: Atlas du continent africain, Jeune Afrique et editions Jaguar, 2000)

Last week, DRC’s president and its government threatened the technology giant Apple with a lawsuit, over “blood” minerals, illegally exploited. There is currently a real genocide in the DRC which has been ongoing for the past 30 years and which has claimed over 10 million lives; however it is a silent genocide given that the “international community” is complicit and has turned a blind eye. As the DRC government sends this out to Apple, where are the other tech giants? Where is Tesla, as we know that Tesla’s batteries cannot work without minerals from the DRC? Where are all the other companies/ multinationals?

Enjoy excerpts below from CBS News.

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The government of the Democratic Republic of Congo has threatened U.S. tech giant Apple with legal action over what it says are “illegally exploited” minerals from the impoverished nation in its products. U.S. and French lawyers representing the DRC’s government sent a letter to Apple on April 22 warning the company it could face legal action if it continues with the alleged practice.

The letter accuses Apple of purchasing minerals smuggled out of the DRC into Rwanda [we all know that Rwanda has zero minerals… the minerals reported of Rwandan origin are all pillaged from neighboring DRC], where their origin is allegedly obscured so they can find their way into the global technology supply chain. It makes clear that the DRC government intends to address the matter and is looking into legal options to do so.

The letter sent by the lawyers to Apple CEO Tim Cook includes a list of questions laying out the DRC’s concerns over alleged “blood minerals” in Apple’s supply chain, and it demands answers within three weeks. Similar letters, seen by CBS News, were also sent to two of Apple’s subsidiaries in France, demanding answers in the same timeframe.

Apple has affirmed that it verifies the origins of minerals it uses to manufacture its products,” the letter notes. “It says that the tin, tungsten, tantalum — the 3Ts — and gold that its suppliers purchase are conflict free and do not finance war. But those claims do not appear to be based on concrete, verifiable evidence.”

Amsterdam & Partners, the law firm representing the DRC government, has written a 53-page report outlining the claims against Apple, entitled “Blood Minerals: Everyone sees the massacres in Eastern Congo, but everyone is silent. The laundering of DRC’s 3T Minerals by Rwanda and by private entities.

In their letter to Apple, the lawyers said that in the process of preparing their report, “it has become clear to us that year after year, Apple has sold technology made with minerals sourced from a region whose population is being devastated by grave violations of human rights. The iPhones, Mac computers and accessories that Apple sells to its customers around the world rely on supply chains that are too opaque, and that are tainted by the blood of the Congolese people.”

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