KINSHASA, April 25 (Reuters) - Democratic Republic of

Congo is pushing Apple Inc ( AAPL ) for information about its

supply chain over concerns it may be tainted with conflict

minerals sourced from the country, international lawyers engaged

by Congo said on Thursday.

Congo, particularly its eastern region, has been plagued by

violence since the 1990s, killing millions as struggles over

national identity, ethnicity, and resources saw neighbouring

countries invade and a myriad of armed groups spring up.

Conflict has arisen over the control of illicit trade in tin

and gold as well as in coltan and tantalum - widely used in cell

phones and computers - all mined in Congo before being smuggled

out through neighbouring Rwanda, Uganda and Burundi.

In September 2023, Congo President Felix Tshisekedi met with

international law firm Amsterdam & Partners LLP to investigate

the supply chain of tin, tungsten and tantalum - known as 3T

minerals - due to concerns about illegal exports, the law firm

said.

It said it had notified Apple ( AAPL ) CEO Tim Cook on Monday of a

series of questions based on fears about its supply chain and

also wrote to Apple ( AAPL ) subsidiaries in France, demanding answers

within three weeks.

"Although Apple ( AAPL ) has affirmed that it verifies the origins of

minerals it uses to manufacture its products, those claims do

not appear to be based on concrete, verifiable evidence,"

Amsterdam said in a statement on Thursday.

"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," it said.

Apple ( AAPL ) did not immediately reply to an emailed request for

comment. The company, which does not directly purchase, procure

or source primary minerals, has been openly 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 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.

The Amsterdam statement coincided with the release of a

report by the law firm accusing Rwanda and private entities of

laundering 3T and other conflict minerals from Congo.

Rwanda and Congo's governments did not immediately respond

to requests for comment.

Congo is the world's leading producer of tantalum, followed

by Rwanda. It is also the number one producer of copper and

cobalt, a key ingredient in electric batteries.

Most of Congo's mineral resources are concentrated in the

east, where insecurity has worsened since a rebel group known as

the M23 made a major comeback in March 2022.