The allegations concern suspicions that so-called blood minerals from mines in Congo-Kinshasa and Rwanda have been delivered to Apple through the tech giant's subsidiaries in Belgium and France. The lawsuit claims that the companies bought minerals from illegal mining operations in conflict zones.
The case has been referred to courts in Brussels and Paris, and also includes allegations of war crimes, money laundering, forgery, and false testimony.
The Central African Republic of Congo-Kinshasa is represented in France by lawyer William Bourdon.
This is the first step to hold one of the largest players in the tech industry accountable for its actions to enrich themselves, he said, referring to the serious crimes suspected to be committed during mining.
Lawyers in Paris, Brussels, and Washington DC, representing Congo-Kinshasa, also refer to investigations conducted by the UN and the US Department of State.
Apple has previously denied the allegations and said last year that there is no basis for the claim that the company's "products contain illegally exported minerals from conflict regions". Rwanda also opposes its neighboring country's allegations.
