The government of the Democratic Republic of Congo is accusing Apple of using "illegally exploited" minerals extracted from the country's embattled east in its products, lawyers representing the African country said on Thursday.

Lawyers for the DRC have sent the US tech giant a formal cease-and-desist notice, seen by French news agency AFP, that effectively warns Apple it could face legal action if the alleged practice continues.

The DRC's Paris-based lawyers accused Apple of purchasing minerals smuggled from the DRC into neighbouring Rwanda, where they are laundered and "integrated into the global supply chain".

In response to media queries, Apple pointed to its latest annual report on conflict minerals - materials such as tin, tantalum and cobalt that are crucial for a range of high-tech products but are mined by armed groups in unstable areas, often using forced labour.

The company has been auditing its suppliers and publishing the findings for several years.

"Based on our due diligence efforts... we found no reasonable basis for concluding that any of the smelters or refiners of 3TG [tin, tantalum, tungsten and gold] determined to be in our supply chain as of 31 December 2023 directly or indirectly financed or benefitted armed groups in the DRC or an adjoining country," the report said.

But Amsterdam & Partners, the international law firm hired by the DRC government to investigate its concerns, said Apple lacked verifiable evidence for its conclusions.

'Tainted' tech

The DRC's mineral-rich Great Lakes region has been wracked by violence since regional wars in the 1990s. Tensions flared again in late 2021 when the rebel March 23 Movement (M23) began recapturing swathes of territory.

The DRC, the UN and Western countries accuse Rwanda of supporting rebel groups, including M23, in a bid to control the region's vast mineral resources, an allegation Kigali denies.

"The world's eyes are wide shut: Rwanda's production of key 3T minerals is near zero, and yet big tech companies say their minerals are sourced in Rwanda," Amsterdam & Partners said in a statement.

Their cease-and-desist letter claims that minerals going to Apple are sourced from sites where sexual violence, armed attacks and widespread corruption take place.

Macs, iPhones, and other Apple products are "tainted by the blood of the Congolese people", the DRC's lawyers said.

(with newswires)