The Democratic Republic of Congo has launched criminal proceedings in France and Belgium against subsidiaries of tech giant Apple, accusing them of using conflict minerals.

Lawyers acting on behalf of the Congolese government argue that Apple is complicit in crimes committed by armed groups that control some mines in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Apple said it “strongly disputes” the claims and said it is “firmly committed to responsibly sourcing” minerals.

French and Belgian authorities will now examine whether there is enough evidence to take further legal action.

in a statementLawyers in the Democratic Republic of Congo speak of “blood mineral” contamination in Apple’s supply chain.

They claim tin, tantalum and tungsten are obtained from conflict zones and then “laundered through international supply chains”.

“These activities contribute to cycles of violence and conflict by funding militias and terrorist groups, and lead to forced child labor and environmental destruction.”

Suppliers meet the highest standards in the industry.”

As conflict escalated in the region earlier this year, we informed our suppliers that their smelters and refiners must suspend purchases of tin, tantalum, tungsten and gold from the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda.

“We are taking this action because we are concerned that it is no longer possible for independent auditors or industry accreditation mechanisms to conduct the due diligence required to meet our high standards.”

Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo is a major source of minerals, and a global thirst for them has fueled war there for decades.

Human rights groups have long claimed that vast amounts of minerals from legal mines as well as facilities run by armed groups are shipped to neighboring Rwanda, where they end up on our phones and computers.

Rwanda has in the past described the Congolese government’s legal actions against Apple as a media stunt.

It denies selling any conflict minerals to the technology company.