US tech giant Apple says it has suspended the purchase of minerals whose source can be traced to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) following a criminal complaint filed against its subsidiaries in Europe by the central African country. Lawyers representing the DRC recently accused Apple’s subsidiaries in Belgium and France of using conflict minerals in their supply chains and fuelling conflict. Apple has denied the allegations. In a statement issued by Apple, they disputed the claim that they use conflict minerals in their supply chains. The US tech company, however, says it has told its suppliers not to provide them with minerals sourced from the DRC and Rwanda. The statement comes a week after the DRC filed a lawsuit against Apple’s subsidiaries in Belgium and France accusing them of using conflict minerals in their electronic devices.

The DRC minister of communication, Patrick Muyaya, says they have evidence that the minerals are smuggled to neighbouring Rwanda and end up in Apple’s devices. Both Apple and Rwanda have denied the allegations. The DRC is endowed with large deposits of coltan, tin, tantalum and tungsten which are used for making components of smartphones and other electronic devices.

Several armed groups have been fighting over the control of the mining sites in the country’s east. In May, the M23 rebels seized the mining town of Rubaya after defeating government forces in a battle in North Kivu province. The United Nations released a report saying the rebels were generating $300 000 US dollars every month from the mines. Lawyers representing the DRC have welcomed Apple’s decision to stop getting minerals sourced from the east of the country but said they will go ahead with the cases against Apple’s European subsidiaries. An armed conflict between Congolese forces and the M23 rebels has escalated in the east of the DRC this month forcing thousands of people to flee their homes.