As Zimbabwe’s agricultural output dwindled, the country started relying on mining more and more. We have seen first hand some of the problems that come from being dependent on mining for a country’s sustenance.
Every other day we hear of artisanal miners perishing in shoddily constructed mines. We hear of violence erupting over particularly rich plots of land.
We might not have the evidence but every expert tells us tonnes of minerals being smuggled out of the country every day. The environmental damage being inflicted is not balanced out by the smuggled minerals and deaths involved.
As bad as that situation is, we are practically a Utopia when compared to the Democratic Republic of Congo. There, the vast mineral wealth the country has have been more of a curse than anything else.
The DRC is an unstable country, with the government having virtually zero control over huge portions of the country. Gangs and other militia control these areas and get their funding from mining.
As you would imagine, gangs are not above enslaving people or employing children in their mines.
The DRC government is now trying to do something about it by suing Apple.
DRC sues Apple
The DRC filed criminal complaints in France and Belgium against subsidiaries of Apple, accusing it of using conflict minerals.
The lawsuit claims that Apple’s supply chain is contaminated by blood minerals. These are natural resources mined in conditions of severe human rights abuses, violence, or environmental degradation.
The lawyers representing the DRC say tin, tantalum and tungsten is taken from conflict areas and then “laundered through international supply chains”.
They argue that, “These activities have fuelled a cycle of violence and conflict by financing militias and terrorist groups and have contributed to forced child labour and environmental devastation.”
They say Apple is complicit in all this as its suppliers and subsidiaries are fuelling these activities.
Apple strongly disputes all this. They told the BBC:
As conflict in the region escalated earlier this year we notified our suppliers that their smelters and refiners must suspend sourcing tin, tantalum, tungsten, and gold from the DRC and Rwanda.
We took this action because we were concerned it was no longer possible for independent auditors or industry certification mechanisms to perform the due diligence required to meet our high standards.
You might wonder why Rwanda is catching strays there. Well, there have been allegations over the years that minerals from both legitimate and armed group-controlled mines are smuggled into Rwanda, which neighbours the DRC in the East.
Rwanda too denies this.
The DRC says it can prove that Apple is involved in conflict minerals. We shall see what’s what.
Share
Home
What’s your take?