Democratic Republic of Congo asks Apple 'where mineral resources are sourced from'

A group of lawyers representing the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has sent a letter to Apple, requesting information on where the mineral resources used in technological products such as smartphones are sourced.

According to reports in the local press, a group of lawyers, including Robert Amsterdam and William Bourdon, sent a letter to Apple CEO Tim Cook regarding mineral resources in the DRC.

The letter, which points out that many mines in the DRC operate informally, asks Apple how it sources what are described as "blood minerals."

The lawyers representing the DRC have requested that Apple provide a response within 3 weeks.

It is noteworthy that the letter sent to Apple by the lawyers comes following criticisms regarding the "informal extraction of underground resources in the DRC by Rwanda and private entities."

AT THE TOP IN COLTAN AND COBALT PRODUCTION

Possessing many valuable minerals such as cobalt and coltan, which are needed by global technology giants, the DRC has been trying for years to protect the financial wealth smuggled out of the country by armed groups and traffickers.

According to the United Nations (UN), in the country, which has approximately 24 trillion dollars worth of untapped rich underground reserves, silver, copper, cobalt, gold, coltan, and diamonds stand out as just some of the dozens of precious minerals extracted.

While coltan forms one of the indispensable parts of chargers after being processed due to the minerals it contains, more than 70 percent of the cobalt ore used in lithium-ion batteries in electric vehicles and other electronic devices is also produced in the DRC.

In the DRC, where dozens of large and small armed groups roam, some of these groups can easily recruit soldiers with ethnic or political motivations.