Gold, tin, tungsten, and tantalum power many Apple Inc. products including iPhones, iPads, and MacBooks. These minerals are in abundance in Congo where the deadliest war in the world today has been raging for over fifteen years.
Also, Belgium and France, in the pursuit of minerals like Coltan (the industrial name for columbite–tantalite), which is vital for making computer chips and cell phones, incite internal disputes in African nations such as Congo. Companies like Nokia, Ericsson, Intel, and Sony lust for African resources, consequently, a dozen years of war over tin and coltan mines – minerals vital to modern technology – have created the largest humanitarian tragedy in modern history with women being the most targeted and common victims, a fact the West largely ignores.
Delly is originally from North Kivu in the eastern region of the Democratic Republic of Congo, where conflict has been raging for over fifteen years. He would like an iPhone for the holidays this year – he likes the iPhone4S – but having monitored mining sites in eastern Congo for several years and documented human rights abuses, he has seen firsthand, the rape, violence, and devastation being fueled by the trade in minerals found in Apple’s and other company’s products. Apple pays such incredible attention to every detail of its products, except for the parts that fuel war in Congo.
Delly cannot in good conscience purchase an iPhone because the gold, tin, tungsten, and tantalum that power it are destroying his home country. You shouldn’t either. Currently, armed groups use rape and torture to destroy communities and control lucrative mines. They force workers into slavery, including children, loot villages, and perpetrate some of the worst forms of torture. Over six million people have died and hundreds of thousands of women and girls have been raped, while commanders earn millions of dollars annually selling these minerals for use in electronics. Apple Inc., a respected market leader can pave the way for all companies and consumers to make conflict-free phones and computers that help rather than harm Congo and the Congolese people.
Please sign the petition and join Delly, the Congolese people, Africa, and friends of Africa in asking Apple Inc. and other companies to make conflict-free products that include conflict-free minerals from Congo that help and support Congolese communities and clean minerals trade in Congo, rather than benefit the pockets of armed groups, so we can all buy Apple Inc. and other companies products in good conscience.
Ask Apple Inc. to lead the way by doing its part to stop the fueling of the deadliest conflict since World War II and pave the way to creating a responsible mining sector in Congo, so all companies and consumers can source conflict-free.
Let us give Congo and the Congolese people a chance for a better future. Clean up your supply chain by purchasing minerals from Congo that benefit rather than destroy communities.
Thanks for being an awesome change maker!
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