PARIS, May 22 (Reuters) - International lawyers

representing the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo

said on Wednesday they had new evidence gathered from

whistleblowers, which deepened concerns that Apple ( AAPL )

could be sourcing minerals from conflict areas in eastern Congo.

In a statement, the lawyers urged Apple ( AAPL ) to answer questions

about its supply chain in the country, and said they were

evaluating legal options. Apple ( AAPL ) did not immediately respond to a

Reuters request for comment.

Congo has been ravaged by violence since the 1990s,

particularly in the restive east, where a myriad of armed

groups, some of them backed by neighbouring Rwanda, fight over

national identity, ethnicity, and resources.

Congo's lawyers notified Apple ( AAPL ) CEO Tim Cook on April 22 of a

series of concerns about its supply chain, and also wrote to

Apple ( AAPL ) subsidiaries in France, demanding answers within three

weeks. The Amsterdam & Partners LLP law firm has been

investigating allegations that minerals mined in Congo by

several companies and armed groups are being smuggled out

through Rwanda, Uganda and Burundi.

The firm said in a statement on Wednesday that, four weeks

later, "the tech giant has remained silent and neither answered

nor even acknowledged receipt of the questions."

One of the lawyers, Robert Amsterdam, said the firm has

since received new evidence from whistleblowers.

"It is more urgent than ever that Apple ( AAPL ) provide real answers

to the very serious questions we have raised," he said in the

statement.

Apple ( AAPL ) has said in the past that it does not directly buy,

procure or source primary minerals, and it has been auditing its

suppliers for several years and publishing its findings.

In a report last year, it said that 100% of identified

smelters and refiners in the supply chain for all applicable

Apple ( AAPL ) products manufactured in 2023 had participated in an

independent third-party conflict minerals audit for tin,

tantalum, and tungsten, known as 3T minerals, and gold (3TG).

"We found no reasonable basis for concluding that any of the

smelters or refiners of 3TG determined to be in our supply chain

as of December 31, 2023 directly or indirectly financed or

benefited armed groups in the DRC or an adjoining country," the

Apple ( AAPL ) report said.

Another lawyer from Amsterdam & Partners LLP, Peter Sahlas,

told Reuters that people who worked on Apple's ( AAPL ) supply chain

verification in Congo had come forward to say that their

contracts were terminated after they flagged concerns that

"blood minerals" were in Apple's ( AAPL ) supply chain.

"We are engaging with these individuals and evaluating their

evidence and will have more to say once we have completed robust

verifications," Sahlas said, without giving further details.

Since the letter issued by Congo lawyers in April, clashes

have intensified in eastern Congo where Rwandan-backed M23

rebels have seized control of Rubaya, a key mining town for

coltan used in smartphones and other appliances.