Fatshimetrie revealed a hard-hitting piece of news on December 16, 2024: the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has filed a lawsuit against tech giant Apple for concealing war crimes, money laundering, and consumer deception. The American company is accused of concealing the involvement of “blood minerals” in its supply chain.
Lawyer Robert Amsterdam, who represents the DRC alongside a group of lawyers, confirmed that similar complaints have been filed in France and Belgium. This legal action appears to be just the beginning; other companies could also be targeted in the near future.
For the DRC lawyer, Apple’s presence in the region is tainted by a contaminated supply chain. He points out that Apple’s financial power and its image as an environmental defender make it a particularly important symbolic target.
This case highlights the challenges of natural resource exploitation in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where mineral extraction is often associated with human rights abuses and armed conflict.
Ultimately, the DRC-Apple case raises critical questions about the accountability of multinational companies in their global supply chains and their duty of transparency to consumers. Let’s wait and see how this legal case unfolds and what its implications will be for the tech industry and beyond.